Matt Gaetz has joined calls for the chair of the Florida Republican Party to resign following accusations of rape and sexual assault.
The Florida congressman, who previously refused to weigh in on the matter, told NBC that it was time to select a replacement for Christian Ziegler.
Mr Ziegler has been accused of raping a woman whom he and his wife, the co-founder of “parent’s rights” group Moms for Liberty, were reportedly in a long-term consensual relationship with, in October.
He has faced calls to resign from members of his own party since the allegations surfaced, including from Florida Governor and presidential hopeful Ron DeSantis, and senators Marco Rubio and Rick Scott.
Mr Gaetz, previously told NBC that he would wait “for the facts to come out before rendering judgment”.
Florida GOP Party Chair Christian Ziegler faces charges of rape and sexual assault— (Florida Republican Party/Facebook)
But on Friday he told the outlet: "We’re at the [point] where we would be better served with different leadership in the Republican Party and I think it’s time to move on and select a different leader.
"I do think he should step aside.”
On Monday Mr Gaetz became the victim of a prank at a GOP event in Ohio, in which he was presented with a fake award for “allegedly paying underage girls to have sex” with him.
The congressman was investigated by the Justice Department for sex trafficking earlier this year but ultimately not charged with a crime,
According to a search warrant affidavit shared with The Independent, Mr Ziegler came to the woman’s home without his wife on 2 October. He allegedly forced his way into her apartment and raped her when she refused to have sex without his wife present, according to the affidavit.
The document also relays that Mr Ziegler told detectives the sexual encounter was consensual and that he had filmed it but had deleted the footage after the allegations of rape and sexual battery.
Bridget Ziegler— (REUTERS)
In a separate interview, Bridget Ziegler told police that she and her husband had a consensual three-way sexual encounter with the accuser about a year before the October incident.
Ms Ziegler is the co-founder of Moms for Liberty, an organisation that advocates against any school curricula or books that mention LGBT+ rights, race issues and theory, ethnicity and discrimination.
Earlier this week Ms Ziegler was removed from the board of the Sarasota County School Board, following the allegations and investigation into the Zieglers.
The motion was passed on Monday night on a 4-1 vote, with Ms Ziegler in opposition; while the vote is nonbinding, it was a significant show of resistance against her.
