Sen. Bernie Moreno, a Republican from Ohio, broke his silence around the horrific abuse claims his daughter has leveled against her ex-husband Rep. Max Miller on Sunday, calling for Miller to resign and seek mental health treatment.
Moreno issued a statement on Sunday only minutes after Miller himself read a statement on a live stream denying claims of abuse against his ex-wife and two-year-old daughter.
“As he has admitted privately, Max Miller needs serious psychological help. He is a danger to my daughter, and I hold my breath every minute he has custody of my granddaughter,” read the senator’s statement in part. “If there are any basic standards of character required to hold elected office, Max Miller fails them. He should not serve in the House of Representatives.”
He added: “It has been horrific to watch this play out in full public view, all while knowing an innocent two-year-old girl is caught in the middle. Our priority has always been protecting our daughter and our granddaughter. Out of concern for the safety of my family, I hoped to keep this matter private but Max Miller’s increasingly erratic and dangerous behavior has made that impossible.”
The embattled congressman is suing his ex-wife, Emily Moreno, and her attorney over claims they’ve made that Miller allegedly held a gun to Emily’s head, broke his daughter’s collarbone, and engaged in drug use, as well as assaulted her by pouring hot or scalding water on her, all of which he denies.
He is separately facing a lawsuit from ex-Trump White House aide Stephanie Grisham, who dated him in 2019 and 2020 and was sued by him after she accused him, without naming him directly, of domestic abuse in a Washington Post op-ed. Grisham claims he violated the terms of a nondisclosure agreement they signed to settle that lawsuit, by claiming she was lying.
“Defendants engaged in a defamatory campaign against Plaintiff to malign his character, undermine his odds at re-election to Congress and falsely portray him as a violent and abusive father and husband,” his attorneys wrote in a court filing against Miller’s ex-wife.
Miller appeared on video to deny all allegations he faces.
"No court or agency has even substantiated any allegation against me," said the congressman. "Every single one of these allegations were already investigated."
"I'm not getting out of this race, and I'm winning in November," he continued.
Miller did not address the senator, a fellow Republican, during his own livestream. He later did so on X, writing to Moreno: “@berniemoreno If my daughter said the same thing to me, I personally wouldn’t wait two years before holding him accountable. You know this isn’t true and the only reason you are speaking out now is to hide from your own media circus. This is all political.”
Rep. Mike Turner, Miller’s colleague in the House, was asked about the situation on CBS’s Face the Nation on Sunday. Turner dodged questions about whether Republican leadership or voters should take up the issue before November, when Miller is up for re-election, and instead repeated that the allegations should be handled in “court” and not “a television studio”. He also would not answer whether the House Ethics Committee should take up an investigation into Miller’s alleged behavior.
Republicans, including Sen. Moreno before his statement Sunday, have been facing increasing pressure to address the allegations leveled at Miller by his ex-wife and ex-girlfriend for days. The district Miller represents is a safe Republican seat but still has some on the right worried about the damage the explosive nature of the allegations could do, both as it relates to his re-election chances and those of other Republicans.
An ugly intra-party spat is the last thing Republicans need in Ohio as the state is home to a crucial Senate race this cycle and the congressional GOP caucuses are trying to protect thin dual majorities under the cloud of Donald Trump’s sinking approval ratings and dissatisfaction with Washington’s lack of focus on affordability.
A spokesperson for Emily Moreno also released a statement, responding to Miller’s livestream appearance.
“It is shameful that Max Miller decided to go on a bizarre and lie-filled rant about his ex-wife to desperately try to save his political career. There is a documented trove of evidence that Miller has a history of violent and dangerous behavior and no amount of victim shaming will change that,” said Stefan Mychajliw.
“It is despicable and abhorrent that Miller lied on an unhinged and humiliating video for their daughter to watch one day. No loving parent would have ever used their daughter as a PR pawn to save their own political career. Miller can lie and spin on X, but he cannot do so under oath in a court of law. We are confident that justice will prevail in court.”
Rumors of allegations leveled against Miller were a open secret within the GOP caucus and were openly referenced by Rep. George Santos on the House floor in 2023 during a spat with the congressman before the latter’s conviction and imprisonment on fraud charges. Miller, at the time, led an effort among Republicans to expel Santos from the House.
