Police have announced that possible rape charges against former Republican Party of Florida chair Christian Ziegler have been dropped.

Ziegler was removed from his position as a result of an ongoing criminal probe after a woman accused him of rape. Ziegler refused to step down from his position and had to be voted out forcibly by Florida Republicans.

Ziegler and his wife, Moms for Liberty co-founder and Sarasota County school board member Bridget Ziegler, have been at the center of the scandal for some time.

However, it appears that the pair is innocent of the accusations leveled against them.

They argued that the encounter with the woman was consensual and she only made the rape accusation because she was unaware that Ziegler recorded the encounter.

False accusations

The Sarasota Police Department announced that "the video showed that the encounter was likely consensual. Therefore, detectives were unable to develop probable cause to charge Ziegler with sexual battery."

They then went on to explain that the alleged victim was unaware of the camera and did not consent to be recorded.

This means that the serious charges of rape and sexual assault are off the table and that clears both Christian and Bridget of any serious wrongdoing.

However, Sarasota police have recommended charges for video voyeurism, which is still a serious charge that Ziegler will have to fight in order to completely clear his name.

Derek Byrd, an attorney representing Ziegler, stated "Since day one, we have been confident Mr. Ziegler would be exonerated from these baseless allegations. He has been completely honest, forthright, and has fully cooperative with law enforcement at every stage of this investigation."

The outcome of this investigation has raised questions about what consequences the woman who accused Ziegler of rape will face. Had it not been for Ziegler's recording, he would be facing charges of rape.

Destroyed career

Both Christian and Bridget Ziegler have had their professional and political lives destroyed by this scandal.

Bridget Ziegler is facing demands from her fellow school board colleagues to resign from her position but she has refused to do so. While she hasn't been removed yet, it is safe to say that she has no future there.

The couple has also been criticized for pushing family values while living such a hedonistic lifestyle. They clearly have no business being in any kind of leadership role with any organization pushing conservative values.