Christian Ziegler investigation: Audio reveals former state GOP Chair’s concern over fallout from charges
SARASOTA, Fla. - Audio recordings of police interviews with former Florida GOP Chairman Christian Ziegler reveal a mostly cooperative tone with Sarasota police who investigated him for a rape allegation last year.
They also reveal his concerns over the public relations fallout from the charges, and that his wife, Bridget Ziegler, a Sarasota School Board member, would be unfairly dragged into controversy.
The Sarasota Police Department released hours of recordings related to their investigation Monday. They include interviews with Ziegler, his wife and controlled calls – which police monitored – from the woman who accused Zeigler of rape last October.
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The woman told police she was expecting Zeigler and his wife to show up for a three-way encounter. She said when Ziegler called and told her his wife couldn’t make it, she told him not to come.
She said he came over anyway, and claimed he raped her.
During a police interview on November 2, Ziegler, with his attorney present, described it in different terms. He said it began with text messages establishing a time for him to stop by.
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He told police, "I went over there, and when I knocked on the door, she answered and said ‘Oh, I just ordered a pizza, I’m about to go pick it up.'"
Ziegler said he told her "I can leave if you want. She said, ‘no come in’."
Ziegler said they engaged in small talk in the kitchen at first and then, "she just started undoing my pants." He said they moved to a bedroom where they engaged in sex.
READ: New police records released in rape investigation of Florida GOP leader
Afterward, they briefly discussed her plans for a new place to live, "her struggles she’s had at work" and other matters in what he described as a "non-eventful conversation."
Ziegler said he didn’t think anything of it "until the end of the month when I sent her a text message, and she’s like ‘Hey, what happened wasn’t right,’ and I was like ‘Whoa, what are you talking about?"
He told police he was shocked and "blindsided" by the accusation and responded to her message by saying "Whoa, that’s not what happened. That wasn’t the intention, that’s not what occurred."
Ziegler told police he first met the woman 14 or 15 years ago. He said they had a sexual relationship when they first met – and that "those started again about three years or four years ago."
He described it as a "friends benefits relationship" and said there had "never been an issue until now." He said he’s had sex with her about a dozen times and described the encounter as "like routine."
On December 1, Zeigler met with officers again during a meeting to collect a DNA swab. During a conversation with officers, he said he was worried about the impact the case would have on his wife.
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"I’m taking the shots. I’m fine," Ziegler said. "My wife’s in a different, unique situation, and unfortunately she can’t really defend herself. She hasn’t seen her [the victim] in years, and they don’t communicate directly with each other."
Ziegler said he wanted to insulate her "as much as possible from any crazy accusation."
Bridget Ziegler is a member of the Sarasota School Board and a founding member of Moms for Liberty, a conservative group that has had an instrumental role in removing books that contain sexual or violent content from school libraries. She has admitted to having a sexual encounter with her husband and the alleged victim one time, several years ago.
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Critics accuse her of hypocrisy and have held rallies outside school board meetings calling for her resignation.
Police said Christian Zeigler was cooperative throughout the investigation and provided them a copy of the sexual encounter, which he recorded on his cell phone. In a statement released January 19, police said, "the video showed the encounter was likely consensual."
The statement said detectives were unable to develop probable cause to charge Zeigler with sexual battery.
He maintained his innocence throughout the investigation. Police ended the investigation without any charges.
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