Ex-Florida GOP party chair cleared in sexual assault probe, but could still face voyeurism charges

Christian Ziegler, the former chair of the Florida Republican Party, will not face sexual assault charges, authorities said Friday, but investigators still determined there is enough evidence to recommend felony video voyeurism charges against him.

Ziegler was removed from his post earlier this month after a woman alleged that he had sexually assaulted her at her Sarasota, Florida, home.

The Sarasota Police Department reported Friday that the "sexual encounter" between Ziegler and the alleged victim, which took place on Oct. 2 of last year, was recorded on Ziegler's cell phone.

Based on the "video evidence," investigators determined the encounter "was likely consensual," police said in a news release, and found "no probable cause to charge Ziegler with sexual battery."

However, the woman told police she "was unaware" that Ziegler had recorded the sexual encounter, and that it was done without her consent. As a result, on Friday police filed a probable cause affidavit with the Florida State Attorney's Office recommending Ziegler be charged with felony voyeurism.

As part of their investigation, detectives conducted nearly a dozen interviews and reviewed several hours of surveillance footage.

The sexual assault allegations against Ziegler surfaced in November, and he was suspended from his position in December before being voted out earlier this month. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, U.S. Sens. Marco Rubio and Rick Scott, and other Republican leaders had called on Ziegler to step down, according to the Associated Press.

In October, the Florida Trident, a nonprofit organization focusing on government accountability, reported that a woman told the Sarasota police that she, Ziegler and Ziegler's wife, Bridget Ziegler, have been involved in a three-year-long three-way sexual relationship. The Trident, citing sources close to the investigation, indicated that the events being investigated allegedly took place while Christian Ziegler and the woman were alone at the woman's home.

Bridget Ziegler is a co-founder of Moms for Liberty, a far-right group that identifies as a parental rights advocate and tries to elect right-wing candidates to school boards. The group opposes references to race or LGBTQ identity in the classroom, and has called for books on gender or sexuality to be removed from school libraries. 

— Aaron Navarro contributed to this report. 

In:
• Republican Party
• Sexual Assault
• Florida

Faris Tanyos

Faris Tanyos is a news editor for CBSNews.com, where he writes and edits stories and tracks breaking news. He previously worked as a digital news producer at several local news stations up and down the West Coast.