Ohio US Sen. Moreno says former son-in-law Rep. Max Miller unfit to serve in Congress

WASHINGTON — Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, on Sunday said Rep. Max Miller, also of Ohio and his former son-in-law, is not fit to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives as he faces allegations of domestic abuse from his ex-wife, who is Moreno’s daughter. 

Moreno did not publicly address the domestic abuse allegations against Miller, also an Ohio Republican, when new details of them were reported in mid-July. But in a post on X Sunday, he wrote that Miller “needs serious psychological help” and is a danger to his daughter. 

“I hold my breath every minute he has custody of my granddaughter,” Moreno wrote. “If there are any basic standards of character required to hold elected office, Max Miller fails them.”

Miller has emphatically denied allegations of abuse against both Moreno and the couple’s daughter. He also pushed back against his former father-in-law’s statement on social media later Sunday, questioning its timing and denouncing it as “all political.”

“If my daughter said the same thing to me, I personally wouldn’t wait two years before holding him accountable,” Miller wrote, referring to Moreno’s comment in the social media post that “the last two years have been pure hell” for his family.

Abuse allegations

In court documents obtained and first reported in mid-July by Mother Jones, Emily Moreno told police detectives in Ohio that the second-term Republican had pushed her, thrown hot water from a pan at her and pointed a gun at her head during their relationship. 

Miller and Emily Moreno married in 2022, but Miller filed for divorce in 2024, according to the report. The two have since been locked in a custody battle over their only daughter, who was born in 2023, and currently retain joint custody, it said. 

The detectives were investigating why the couple’s 2-year-old daughter had broken her collarbone, the Mother Jones report said. Neither Moreno nor Miller said they knew the source of their daughter’s injury, it said.

But, according to Mother Jones’ report, local authorities and child protection experts investigating the case determined that the bruising, which they said was similar to that of a handprint, around the injury made it suspicious, and that such an injury would have necessitated a “high degree of impact to occur.”

The magazine also reported that Moreno told the police that, given the congressman’s past, she couldn’t rule out Miller was the cause, and had further recounted her daughter saying that “daddy’s house is scary.” 

No charges have been filed against Miller, and there has been no official determination that any child abuse has occurred. 

But this is not the first time Miller has been accused of abuse. 

Stephanie Grisham, who served as White House press secretary toward the end of President Donald Trump’s first term, accused him in 2021 of abusing her while they were dating several years ago, the Cleveland Plain Dealer reported. He denied those allegations as well, and filed a defamation lawsuit against her — which he ultimately dropped in 2023. 

Miller pushes back 

Miller, an ally of Trump’s and former adviser during his first term, has also released a DropBox page containing scores of documents compiled by his personal lawyers. They detail various aspects of the couple’s divorce and custody proceedings, containing personal communications, selected court filings and audio transcripts. He pointed to the documents as evidence against the domestic and child abuse claims. 

In a 20-minute livestream on X Sunday, Miller again defended himself against the allegations and said he plans to stay in the race for reelection and win in November. Since he already has won his primary election, Ohio Republicans would only have until Wednesday to find a replacement candidate. 

Miller has also filed a lawsuit against Emily Moreno, alleging that she has defamed him and portrayed him in false light. 

In his initial complaint filed in May, Miller argued that the allegations were part of a “defamatory campaign” against him to “falsely portray him as a violent and abusive father and husband.” 

Moreno’s lawyers have described Miller’s defamation suit in a court filing as a “bad-faith, scorched-earth litigation strategy seeking to punish Ms. Moreno.” 

Trump doesn't call for resignation

Bernie Moreno’s calls for Miller to resign have so far not been echoed by much of the Republican establishment. 

Many of Miller’s fellow Ohio Republicans have yet to weigh in, including the state’s junior senator, Jon Husted. The senator did not respond to States Newsroom’s request for comment. 

After an executive order signing ceremony Monday, Trump called Miller a “very good person” and said that he will let the families work it out. “It’s accusations, and I’m gonna let them figure that out,” he said.

House Speaker Mike Johnson said in May, before the allegations of child abuse were further detailed, that he doesn’t “get involved in the personal lives of members,” NBC News reported. 

“You know, he’s refuted some of these allegations, and he’s got to work that out,” he said. 

Asked last week why allegations against former Democratic Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner pressured him to drop out of the race there, but allegations against Miller and fellow Republican Rep. Cory Mills of Florida have yet not resulted in either being removed from the conference, Johnson said “the key word there is ‘allegation.’”

He added that the House Ethics Committee has its own process for investigating allegations. But no formal investigation has been announced into Miller. 

Johnson’s office did not return a request for comment Monday afternoon. 

Democrats jump in

With Miller facing intense public scrutiny, some congressional Democrats are looking for an opportunity to flip his seat amid what's poised to be a highly competitive battle for control of the House in this November’s midterms. 

He is facing Democratic challenger Brian Poindexter, an ironworker and local city councilman in Ohio’s 7th Congressional District. Poindexter has received endorsements from several national labor unions and independent Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, but he still lags far behind in campaign fundraising. 

Miller, first elected in 2022, received just more than 51% of the vote in 2024.