Christian Ziegler attorney says Republican chair will be ‘completely exonerated’

Christian Ziegler failed in his attempt to make Sarasota County a "Second Amendment S

An attorney for Republican Party of Florida Chair Christian Ziegler expects him to be cleared of rape allegations.

Derek Byrd confirmed an investigation was underway and said Ziegler has fully cooperated with police.

“We acknowledge the reports that there is an investigation being conducted by the Sarasota Police Department regarding Mr. Ziegler,” Byrd said in a statement.

The hire of Byrd, a former President of the Sarasota County Bar Association, shows Ziegler has taken allegations seriously. A police report shows accusations were leveled against Ziegler on Oct. 4. The alleged incident, according to the report, occurred on Oct. 2.

A woman whose name was not publicly released accused Ziegler of the crime. A police report verifies an active criminal investigation, and that the accuser alleged she was raped, but enormous details were redacted as police stressed the investigation remains ongoing.

“Mr. Ziegler has been fully cooperative with every request made by the Sarasota Police Department,” Byrd said. “We are confident that once the police investigation is concluded that no charges will be filed and Mr. Ziegler will be completely exonerated.”

The accusations already have drawn national attention. The Florida Democratic Party has already called for Ziegler’s resignation as Republican state party chair.

The Republican Party of Sarasota, meanwhile, has offered little backing for Ziegler.

The party said it was “shocked and disappointed” by the reports.

“The Republican Party takes all such allegations of potential criminal conduct very seriously and will fully cooperate with investigators,” the report said.

State Attorney Ed Brodsky said the report was released to press before his office was informed of the accusation.

“I confirmed there is an active investigation. They (Sarasota police) have not submitted anything to my office,” Brodsky said. “Nothing has been sent to me, and I have no reason at this point to recuse myself. I have nothing to do now, but will perform my official duties if they submit something to us.”

Byrd acknowledged the public appetite for information but advised individuals to wait for facts to emerge.

“Unfortunately, public figures are often accused of acts that they did not commit whether it be for political purposes or financial gain,” the attorney said. “I would caution anyone to rush to judgment until the investigation is concluded.”

It’s unclear how long the investigation may take. A search warrant for information on Ziegler’s electronic devices has been served.