House and Senate members join DeSantis in calling on Florida GOP Chairman Chris Ziegler to resign

Senate and House leaders are joining Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) in calling for Florida GOP Chairman Christian Ziegler to step down amid an active investigation after a mostly redacted document released Thursday by police in Sarasota mentioned rape and sexual battery.

“It is untenable for Christian Ziegler to continue as Chairman of the RPOF and I recommend he resign his post,” GOP state House Speaker Paul Renner said Sunday. “The serious allegations at issue require his full attention and we need someone who can provide the singular focus the party needs.”

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DeSantis told reporters after his debate with Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) on Friday that Ziegler should step down, and he said he doesn't “see how he can continue with that investigation ongoing, given the gravity of those situations.”

"I think he should step aside," DeSantis said. "He's innocent till proven guilty, but we just can't have a party chair that is under that type of scrutiny."

GOP state Senate President Kathleen Passidomo echoed DeSantis’s remarks, calling on Ziegler to resign over allegations of sexual battery.

“The Governor is the leader of our Party. I agree with his position. The allegations are serious, and will require Chair Zeigler's full attention,” Passidomo said in a statement.

In a statement sent to the state Republicans on Saturday, Ziegler indicated he does not plan to step aside from his leadership post, calling the allegations “false” and adding he was limited in what he could discuss.

“We have a country to save, and I am not going to let false allegations of a crime put that mission on the bench as I wait for this process to wrap up," Ziegler wrote.

Ziegler added that his wife, Bridget Ziegler, is “behind me 150 percent.” Bridget Ziegler is a co-founder of Moms for Liberty, a group that has become a prominent constituency within the Republican Party, and she is an elected member of the Sarasota County School Board

According to a heavily redacted 13-page Sarasota Police report from Oct. 4, reviewed by the Washington Examiner, there is an “active criminal investigation.” The document states a person reported being “sexually battered" at home in Sarasota on Oct. 2. The report mentions a “sexual assault complaint” and "sexual assault allegation" but provides no further information.

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The Florida Trident, published by the Florida Center for Government Accountability, was the first outlet to report Ziegler was under investigation on Thursday. The outlet reported that sources close to the investigation alleged that the woman who accused the GOP chairman of rape was in a “long-standing consensual three-way sexual relationship prior to the incident" with both Zieglers.

Ziegler's attorney, Derek Byrd, said in a statement that he is confident the Florida GOP chairman will be “completely exonerated.”