The House Ethics Committee announced Tuesday it will investigate allegations of domestic violence and abuse and illegal drug use against Ohio Republican Rep. Max Miller.
The announcement comes after Miller wrote on X that he was asking the panel to look into him and that he has “absolutely nothing to hide.”
“In light of all the renewed interest in my family affairs I am going to file my own paperwork for an ethics investigation into myself to clear my name from these horrific attacks on myself and family,” he wrote.
Miller has denied allegations made against him by his ex-wife, Emily Moreno, that he poured hot water on her and pushed her into a wall, among other things. He defended himself in a livestream on X over the weekend and also released a folder of documents he said were prepared by his attorneys as “evidence” the claims were false.
His request for an investigation follows reporting from Mother Jones that Moreno told police she could not rule out Miller’s involvement in their young child’s broken collarbone.
Last week, the Democratic Women’s Caucus said Miller should be investigated by the Ethics Committee, calling the allegations “deeply disturbing.”
Ohio Republican Sen. Bernie Moreno, Emily Moreno’s father, told reporters this week that his family has been going through “the seventh level of hell.”
“My daughter lives in constant fear of this man. Not something that’s existential, but deeply in her heart she fears what this guy is capable of. You can’t fathom what that makes me feel like when the dad’s No. 1 job is to protect your kids,” he said.
The senator had mostly avoided speaking publicly about the topic until the weekend, when he issued a statement saying Miller should “seek professional help” and “should not serve in the House of Representatives.”
The Ethics Committee announcement comes a day before the deadline in Ohio for Miller to be replaced on the ballot via a special election if he were to withdraw from the race. He faces union ironworker Brian Poindexter as his Democratic opponent in the fall. If he withdraws by Aug. 10, party officials could pick a replacement.
The panel has faced calls to speed up its probes over the last few months, with its investigations taking months and sometimes years to conclude.
“The Committee notes that the mere fact that it is investigating these allegations, and publicly disclosing its review, does not itself indicate that any violation has occurred,” its Tuesday statement states.
Time is running out for the committee to complete an investigation into Miller before the midterm elections in November. The committee cannot accept complaints submitted within 60 days before a federal, state or local election in which the subject of the referral is a candidate, nor can it receive referrals from the Office of Congressional Conduct during that time.
