Moms for Liberty is condemning Republican Party of Florida Chair Christian Ziegler — the husband of one of the group's co-founders, Bridget Ziegler — after Christian Ziegler was accused of rape.
"We have been truly shaken to read of the serious, criminal allegations against Christian Ziegler," said Moms for Liberty co-founders Tina Descovich and Tiffany Justice. "We believe any allegation of sexual assault should be taken seriously and fully investigated."
The ongoing criminal investigation also resulted in surprising details about the private lives of Bridget and Christian Ziegler. A search warrant for contents of Christian Ziegler's phone shows the couple separately admitted to a past three-way sexual encounter with a woman now accusing Christian Ziegler of raping her in a Sarasota apartment.
An attorney for Christian Ziegler said the investigation will exonerate him. Bridget Ziegler faces no accusation of criminal activity. But the matter has resulted in calls for both Zieglers to resign all public and partisan positions.
The statement from Moms for Liberty stressed that Bridget Ziegler, now a Sarasota County School Board member, hasn't been deeply engaged in the organization since shortly after its founding.
"Bridget Ziegler resigned from her role as co-founder with Moms for Liberty within a month of our launch in January of 2021, nearly three years ago," Descovich and Justice said. "She has remained an avid warrior for parental rights across the country."
The relationship has called the future of Moms for Liberty into question. In Pennsylvania, the Northumberland County chapter of Moms for Liberty announced the organization would pause activity and members would form a different group with no connection to the Florida-based organization, according to The News-Item.
Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried heavily criticized Moms for Liberty in a press call. She said revelations about Bridget Ziegler were only the latest scandal, and referenced an Indiana chapter that included an Adolf Hitler quote in a newsletter, as well as associations with extremist group The Proud Boys.
"I do not believe that we will see Moms for Liberty in the future," Fried said. "Because the foundation was so weak to begin with, the whole entire organization is going to start to crumble."
But Descovich and Justice sounded defiant amid scrutiny of the organization.
"To our opponents who have spewed hateful vitriol over the last several days: We reject your attacks," they said. "We will continue to empower ALL parents to build relationships that ensure the survival of our nation and a thriving education system. We are laser-focused on fundamental parental rights, and that mission is and always will be bigger than any one person."
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