>>> CHRISTIAN ZIEGLER, THE FLORIDA REPUBLICAN CHAIRMAN, IS FACING MOUNTING PRESSURE TO RESIGN FROM HIS POSITION AMID RAPE ALLEGATIONS. HIS WIFE BRIDGET ZIEGLER IS ALSO FACING PRESSURE TO RESIGN FROM HER POSITION ON THE SARASOTA COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD. HER FELLOW BOARD MEMBER SAYS ZIEGLER MUST STEP DOWN. BRIDGET ZIEGLER HAS ALREADY RESIGNED FROM A DIFFERENT POSITION AS VICE PRESIDENT OF SCHOOL BOARDS FOR THE LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE, AN ORGANIZATION THAT PROVIDES TRAINING FOR CONSERVATIVE ACTIVISTS. BRIDGET ZIEGLER HAS NOT BEEN ACCUSED OF ANY CRIME. BUT HE IS ENGULFED IN THE SCANDAL NONETHELESS. HER HUSBAND, CHRISTIAN, IS ACCUSED OF RAPING A YET UNNAMED WOMAN, WHICH HE DENIES. ACCORDING TO A SEARCH WARRANT AFFIDAVIT FIRST OBTAINED BY THE FLORIDA CENTER FOR GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY, THE ZIEGLERS ADMITTED TO POLICE THEY ENGAGED IN A THREESOME WITH THE ACCUSER MORE THAN A YEAR AGO. ANOTHER SEXUAL ENCOUNTER WAS SET IN OCTOBER, BUT THE WOMAN TOLD POLICE THAT CHRISTIAN RAPED HER WHEN SHE REFUSED TO HAVE SEX WITHOUT BRIDGET PRESENT. SO WHY THE IRE AGAINST BRIDGET IF SHE IS NOT EVEN NAMED IN THE POLICE COMPLAINT? WELL, THE SCANDAL HAS MANY LAYERS OF MESSY, AND ISN'T A GOOD LOOK FOR FLORIDA REPUBLICANS. BUT ALSO, BRIDGET IS ESSENTIALLY AN ANTI-GAY CRUSIDER WHO HAS NOW ADMITTED TO HAVING SEX AT LEAST ONCE WITH ANOTHER WOMAN. IN FACT, HERE SHE IS IN 2022, STANDING BEHIND RON DeSANTIS WHEN HE SIGNED THE DON'T SAY GAY BILL INTO LAW. HYPOCRITICAL MUCH? YES. ZIEGLER IS A COFOUNDER OF MOMS FOR LIBERTY, THE VERY GROUP WHO SLINGS GROOMER ACCUSATIONS AT GAY PEOPLE AND IS OBSESSED WITH BANNING BOOKS ABOUT MLK AND THINKS A KIDS BOOK ABOUT HUGGING SEA HORSES IS TOO RISQUE. THE GROUP'S MISSION IS CLEAR, TO TAKE OVER SCHOOL BOARDS AND STEER LOCAL POLITICS TO THE FAR RIGHT. ZIEGLER HAS HELD THE SEAT ON THE SARASOTA COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD SINCE 2014. EARLIER THIS YEAR, SHE INTRODUCED A LAST-MINUTE AGENDA ITEM TO HIRE AN EDUCATIONAL CONSULTING FOORM CALLED VERMEILIUM, BUT THE BOARD WOULD EVENTUALLY REJECT HER PROPOSAL. ABOUT A WEEK LATER, A LAST MINUTE ITEM ABOUT HIRING VERMILION SHOWED UP ON A DIFFERENT SCHOOL BOARD AGENDA. THIS TIME IT WAS IN PENNSYLVANIA. HUH, COINCIDENCE? HARDLY, BECAUSE IT'S ASSOCIATED WITH HILLSDALE COLLEGE, A CHRISTIAN SCHOOL THAT IS CHUMMY WITH FOLKS LIKE TRUMP AND DeSANTIS AND WHEN IS DISSEMINATING SOMETHING CALLED THE 1776 CURRICULUM. ITS RESPONSE TO THE HERALDED 1619 PROJECT. THE 1776 PROJECT HAS BEEN SLAMMED BY CRITICS AS LITTERED WITH RIGHT-WING CHRISTIAN IDEOLOGY AND HISTORICAL INACCURACIES. WHEN VERMILION FAILED TO SECURE A CONTRACT FOR ITS CURRICULUM IN FLOD, IT MOVES ON TO PENNSYLVANIA. UNLIKE SARASOTA, THE PENRIDGE DISTRICT HIRED VERMILION OWNER JORDAN ADAMS. IT DIDN'T GO WELL. PER THE SOUTHERN POVERTY LAW CENTER, FROM THE START, THERE WERE RED FLAGS ABOUT PVERMILION EDUCATION PROPOSAL AND CONTRACT, WHICH CALLED FOR A CONSULTING FEE OF $125 PER HOUR, PLUS TRAVEL EXPENSES. ADAMS' PROPOSAL TITLED EDUCATION RESTORED, BEGAN WITH A LETTER TO THE SCHOOL BOARD CALLING ON ITS MEMBERS REMAIN PART OF THE RIGHT-WING MOVEMENT AGAINST PUBLIC EDUCATION. LONG STORY SHORT, IT TURNED INTO A HUGE MESS. A SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER TOLD POPULAR INFORMATION THAT ADAMS WAS AMATEURISH AND HORRIBLE. PENRIDGE WOULD EVENTUALLY TERMINATE ITS CONTRACT BUT ONLY AFTER AN ELECTION THIS FALL TOPPLED THE MOMS FOR LIBERTY MEMBERS AND ADAMS HAD ALREADY BEEN PAID $35,000 FOR HIS SHODDY WORK. THE MOMS FOR LIBERTY COFOUNDER ARE NOW SCRAMBLING TO DISTANCE THEMSELVES FROM BRIDGET ZIEGLER AMID HER AND HER HUSBAND'S SCANDAL, BUT THE DAMAGE IS DONE, AND WE'RE SEEING EXACTLY HOW THIS GROUP
