Scandal

“We have a country to save and I’m not going to let false allegations of a crime put that mission the bench while I wait for this process to wrap up. “From Congressmen, state elected leaders, prominent social conservative leaders and county party leaders, I have been overwhelmed by the amount of support that has been sent my way. It …

Tampa’s ABC affiliate reports: Ziegler and his wife — Sarasota School Board Member Bridget Ziegler who helped found Moms of Liberty — had made plans to have sex with the woman two days before, according to the affidavit. But when Ziegler’s wife could not make it at last minute, the other woman canceled responding in text message, “Sorry I was …

The Daily Beast reports: Tom Edwards is the Sarasota County School Board’s only openly gay member. And Bridget Ziegler did nothing as board chair during a public comment session back in March when a woman baselessly accused him of being a groomer who endangers children. “I asked her to shut down the meeting and she refused,” he recalled on Friday. …

The Florida Trident reports: The sexual battery investigation of Florida GOP chairman Christian Ziegler began with a 911 call from a friend of the alleged victim who was worried about her well-being, according to a recording of the call obtained by the Florida Trident. The 911 call, made on October 4 at 2:46 p.m., reveals the caller was concerned about …

From an opinion column in the Miami Herald: Wouldn’t it be ironic if the woman who led an ultra-conservative movement in Florida education that sought to put gays back in the closet was having a long-term, three-way lesbian relationship with a lover she shared with her husband, the state’s GOP chairman? That’s the allegation being made about Bridget Ziegler — …

CBS News reports: Florida Republican Party chair Christian Ziegler is being investigated by the Sarasota Police Department, Ziegler’s attorney, Derek Byrd, confirmed. Late Thursday night, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis called on Ziegler to resign as state party chair. “I don’t see how he can continue with that investigation ongoing, given the gravity of those situations,” DeSantis told reporters. “And so …

Politico reports: Christian Ziegler, through his attorney, acknowledged the police were investigating him and said he’d been “fully cooperative with every request made” by the Sarasota Police Department. “Unfortunately, public figures are often accused of acts that they did not commit whether it be for political purposes or financial gain. I would caution anyone to rush to judgment until the …

AlterNet reports: The far-right Christian nationalist organization Moms for Liberty issued, then later deleted, a statement declaring support for its co-founder after her husband, the chairman of the Florida Republican Party, was accused of sexual battery by a woman who allegedly has had a consensual “three-way sexual relationship” with the married couple. “The Sarasota Police Department is investigating a sexual …

The Florida Democratic Party writes: “Allegations of rape and sexual battery are severe and should be taken seriously,” said FDP Chair Nikki Fried. “I applaud the accuser’s bravery in coming forward against a political figure as powerful as Christian Ziegler, and I trust that the Sarasota Police Department will conduct a thorough investigation into these allegations of criminal behavior. “Christian …

The Florida Trident reports: Christian Ziegler, Florida’s GOP chairman and husband of Sarasota County School Board member and Moms of Liberty co-founder Bridget Ziegler, is under criminal investigation after a woman filed a complaint with the Sarasota Police Department alleging the longtime Republican official had raped her, according to a heavily redacted police report obtained by the Florida Trident. The …

Miami’s CBS affiliate reports: Taxpayers will not be on the hook for a multi-million judgment against Commissioner Joe Carollo. Last June, a jury found him liable for violating the First Amendment rights of businessmen William Fuller and Martin Pinilla, the operators of a string of businesses along the Little Havana business corridor that includes the iconic Ball & Chain nightclub. …

The far-right Catholic LifeSiteNews reports: Michael Voris, founder and president of St. Michael’s Media and Church Militant, has resigned at the request of its board of directors, the Catholic media organization confirmed Tuesday afternoon. Reports of Voris’ ouster initially surfaced Tuesday morning. “We understand this is a shock to you all, but our founder and former CEO is stepping aside …

The New York Times reports: Federal authorities are investigating whether Mayor Eric Adams, weeks before his election two years ago, pressured New York Fire Department officials to sign off on the Turkish government’s new high-rise consulate in Manhattan despite safety concerns with the building, three people with knowledge of the matter said. After winning the Democratic mayoral primary in July, …

The Associated Press reports: The Archdiocese of Baltimore will close one of the city’s Catholic churches after its longtime pastor was recently suspended from ministry because he admitted to making a payment several years ago to settle sexual harassment allegations. Last month, Father Paschal Morlino was dismissed from his position at St. Benedict Church in southwest Baltimore, where he served …

The Christian Post reports: International House of Prayer Kansas City founder Mike Bickle has agreed to step away from public ministry as he is investigated for “serious allegations including sexual immorality” that have been made against him by multiple women. Leaders of the charismatic Evangelical Christian movement and missions organization based in Kansas City, Missouri, made the revelations of the …

The Kansas City Star reports: The founder of the International House of Prayer of Kansas City, a 24/7 evangelical and missions organization, is facing serious allegations of misconduct, members of its leadership team told staff at a special meeting on Friday. Mike Bickle has led the organization since its founding in 1999. The leadership team did not provide details of …

The Telegraph reports: Conservative MP Crispin Blunt has been arrested in connection with an allegation of rape and possession of a controlled substance. Mr Blunt, MP for Reigate since 1997 and a former justice minister, outed himself on social media after reports emerged that a senior politician had been arrested in connection with drug and sex offences. Mr Blunt claimed …

The National Catholic Reporter reports: The pope on Oct. 24 accepted the resignation of a Polish bishop whose diocese has been rocked for weeks by reports of a gay orgy involving a male prostitute in a priest’s apartment. The Vatican didn’t give a reason for why Bishop Grzegorz Kaszak was resigning as head of the diocese of Sosnowiec, in southwestern …

CNN reports: Sen. Bob Menendez pleaded not guilty in federal court Monday to a charge alleging he conspired to act as a foreign agent of Egypt. The New Jersey Democrat personally entered his plea before district Judge Sidney H. Stein. Menendez, his wife Nadine Arslanian Menendez, and three other co-defendants were indicted last month on corruption-related offenses and are accused …

The Associated Press reports: Four defendants in the criminal bribery case against U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez pleaded not guilty Wednesday in New York City to a revised indictment alleging that the senator, his wife and a third defendant conspired to use him as an agent of the Egyptian government. The senator, who gave up his position as chair of the …