US House Ethics starts probe of abuse allegations against Ohio Rep. Max Miller at his request

WASHINGTON — The U.S. House Ethics Committee announced Tuesday that it will review allegations that Republican Rep. Max Miller of Ohio may have “engaged in domestic violence and abuse or illegal drug use.” 

The announcement came shortly after Miller said on X earlier Tuesday he was planning on filing paperwork requesting that the committee investigate him, as he has “nothing to hide” and wants to “clear (his) name from these horrific attacks” on him and his family.  

“We will be providing the committee all necessary documents needed for a detail(ed) examination,” he wrote. “The accusations continue to change, but my facts stay the same. I am looking forward to my colleagues reading everything for themselves.”

The second-term lawmaker is facing intense public scrutiny over allegations that he abused his ex-wife, who is the daughter of fellow Ohio Republican Sen. Bernie Moreno, and the couple’s 2-year-old daughter. Miller strongly denies the allegations. 

In a statement Sunday, his former father-in-law said Miller “needs serious psychological help” and should not serve in Congress.

After filing for divorce from his ex-wife, Emily Moreno, in 2024, Miller has been embroiled in divorce proceedings and a custody battle over their child. The allegations have been public for several months. But in July, the magazine Mother Jones reported on court documents in which Moreno told police detectives investigating their daughter’s broken collarbone that he was abusive and may have been responsible for the injury. 

According to the report, Moreno said that Miller had thrown scalding water from a pan at her, pushed her and pointed a gun at her head during an argument. 

‘Total and complete depravity’

Speaking to reporters in Washington Tuesday, Bernie Moreno said his daughter Emily “lives in constant fear” of Miller, CBS News reported. 

“Deeply in her heart, she fears what this guy is capable of,” he said. 

Moreno said that he picked up his granddaughter from Miller this week at a police station so Emily Moreno didn’t have to interact with him. He said Miller wouldn’t hand over their toddler’s favorite stuffed animal, and she spent the next couple days unable to sleep. 

“This is the level of total and complete depravity,” he said. 

The remarks came after Moreno spoke publicly about his former son-in-law for the first time on Sunday, issuing a scathing indictment of Miller, who he described as a danger to his daughter who should not be serving in Congress. Miller is currently running for reelection in Ohio’s 7th Congressional District. 

Moreno has received criticism of his own — including from Miller — for not publicly addressing the allegations sooner. Speaking to reporters Tuesday, Moreno said his daughter had explicitly asked him to turn down the temperature and avoid drawing attention. 

But since rising again in mid-July, the attention on Miller has reached a fever pitch as the allegations mounted.

Miller has been vocal about it on his social media pages. He hosted a 20-minute livestream on X in which he defended himself from the allegations and announced he had no intention of dropping his reelection bid. He also released a DropBox page containing scores of documents he said were proof against the allegations. 

But some of those documents contained deeply personal information, including sensitive photos of the child, Politico reported Tuesday. A lawyer for Miller has taken responsibility for the inadvertent inclusion of the photos in the documents, Politico reported, and has apologized to Emily Moreno. 

In his remarks to reporters, Bernie Moreno said he believes the publication of the photo is a felony, and anyone that touched it or transmitted it electronically should be jailed. 

“Now you have hundreds of thousands of psychotic human beings that have that,” he said. “To say, ‘Oops’ is grotesque.”