Fraud, Corruption, & Exploitation

[N.E. Brigand]

NBC: "Florida GOP chairman faces allegations of sexual battery."

The official complaint against Christian Ziegler is heavily redacted but includes the word "rape." The alleged victim is apparently not his wife, Bridget Ziegler, "a well-known school choice advocate who helped start Moms for Liberty, a group focused on getting conservative women elected to school boards across the country." As I understand it, the Zieglers are close to Florida's governor Ron DeSantis and played key roles in getting Florida's so-called "don't say 'gay'" law passed. Moms for Liberty did poorly in last month's elections. Responding to NBC today, the group's current leadership put a little distance between themselves and Mrs. Ziegler. Other sources hint at why that might be so. Irony abounds.

The rumors seem to be true. According to an unsealed search warrant, in interviews with police both Christian and Bridget Ziegler -- who publicly pushed an anti-gay agenda -- confirmed in police interviews that they had an ongoing sexual relationship with the woman that Christian Ziegler is now accused of raping. As for that charge, in addition to the victim's statement, there's video of Christian Ziegler visiting her apartment complex (without Bridget) on the day in question, and there's a recording of Ziegler apologizing for what he did to her (without getting into details).

Also despite calls from Florida's governor, Ron DeSantis, for Christian Ziegler to resign from his position as chair of Florida's Republican party, Ziegler says he's not going anywhere.

There's video of Christian Ziegler's encounter with the alleged victim. He recorded it himself on his cell phone and later deleted it, but it was saved to cloud storage. Police have it. This article has the sexually explicit details. One expert says based on the description, Ziegler may be cleared, because notwithstanding the possibility that the alleged victim may have been too drunk to give consent, it appears to show a consensual encounter.

[N.E. Brigand]

New reporting in the Miami Herald about how Miami mayor Francis Suarez "helped Saudi Arabia rehab its bloody reputation."

[N.E. Brigand]

NBC: "Florida GOP chairman faces allegations of sexual battery."

The official complaint against Christian Ziegler is heavily redacted but includes the word "rape." The alleged victim is apparently not his wife, Bridget Ziegler, "a well-known school choice advocate who helped start Moms for Liberty, a group focused on getting conservative women elected to school boards across the country." As I understand it, the Zieglers are close to Florida's governor Ron DeSantis and played key roles in getting Florida's so-called "don't say 'gay'" law passed. Moms for Liberty did poorly in last month's elections. Responding to NBC today, the group's current leadership put a little distance between themselves and Mrs. Ziegler. Other sources hint at why that might be so. Irony abounds.

The rumors seem to be true. According to an unsealed search warrant, in interviews with police both Christian and Bridget Ziegler -- who publicly pushed an anti-gay agenda -- confirmed in police interviews that they had an ongoing sexual relationship with the woman that Christian Ziegler is now accused of raping. As for that charge, in addition to the victim's statement, there's video of Christian Ziegler visiting her apartment complex (without Bridget) on the day in question, and there's a recording of Ziegler apologizing for what he did to her (without getting into details).

Also despite calls from Florida's governor, Ron DeSantis, for Christian Ziegler to resign from his position as chair of Florida's Republican party, Ziegler says he's not going anywhere.

There's video of Christian Ziegler's encounter with the alleged victim. He recorded it himself on his cell phone and later deleted it, but it was saved to cloud storage. Police have it. This article has the sexually explicit details. One expert says based on the description, Ziegler may be cleared, because notwithstanding the possibility that the alleged victim may have been too drunk to give consent, it appears to show a consensual encounter.

Oh. "Police recover second Zeigler sex tape, this one with Bridget Zeigler and as yet unidentified woman." (It might be same woman who has accused Christian Ziegler of rape.)

This video would be none of our business if not for the Zieglers's hypocrisy and role in public policy.

[N.E. Brigand]

Here's a story in the Detroit News about a former state representative, Larry Inman, who was acquitted by a jury today of a bribery charge.

It's not a good story, because it gives no indication at all of what the evidence or arguments the defense presented that could have moved the jury to acquit Inman. The only real facts described about the case are that Inman sent texts to various lobbyists for the state's carpenters' union ahead of a vote on prevailing wages, including one he sent to the union's political director in which, after mentioning that upcoming vote, Inman wrote, "We only have 12 people to block it. You said all 12 would get $30,000 to help there [sic] campaigns." The article adds that, according to prosecutors, Inman lied to the FBI about this text, but he previously was acquitted on that charge.

Based on the article, it sure looks like bribery! There must have been other evidence the jury found more compelling. What was it?