An Ohio Republican facing allegations of domestic abuse says he won’t resign or drop his reelection bid as the ongoing family feud stretching across both chambers of Congress is catapulted into public view.
Rep. Max Miller, who faces allegations of abuse from his ex-wife, reiterated his stance that he will not step down from office in a 20-minute livestream video posted to social media on Sunday. During the livestream, Miller denied the allegations and instead accused his former wife of displaying “significant mental health challenges” and lying about their past relationship.
The video comes after accusations by his wife Emily Moreno that he scalded her with hot water from a skillet, once held a gun to her head, and that he fractured their daughter’s collarbone and bruised her shoulder. Those allegations were reported by Mother Jones in mid-July.
“My former wife would not have been offering to cook me dinner and inviting me to playgrounds,” Miller said in the video. “And I certainly would not have joint custody of my daughter.”
Miller noted that the allegations included in the report had previously been investigated by the state but that he had never been charged.
“If these accusations were true,” he said, “I would be in jail.”
In addition to the video, Miller posted a Dropbox link containing documents, photos, and videos that he argues exonerates him from his ex-wife’s accusations.
The livestream prompted Sen. Bernie Moreno, the senior senator from Ohio and Emily Moreno’s father, to respond to the allegations publicly for the first time. In a statement, Sen. Moreno called on Miller to resign.
“If there are any basic standards of character required to hold elected office, Max Miller fails them,” he wrote. “He should not serve in the House of Representatives. I believe Max Miller needs to seek professional help to end the clear pattern of abuse he has left in his wake. I believe he should not be free to continue endangering others until he does.”
Meanwhile, top Republicans in the House have remained largely silent on the matter — even as the allegations complicate Miller’s reelection campaign, particularly with the denunciation from his former father-in-law, who represents the Buckeye State in the Senate.
When asked about the allegations last month, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., declined to comment.
“The key word there is allegation,” Johnson said. “The House Ethics Committee works on those things. If allegations are made, they work through a process, so I’m not in the business of commenting on investigations as they’re in process, and we’ll see how they shake out.”
President Donald Trump similarly declined to say whether Miller, who held a staff member position in the first Trump administration, should drop his reelection bid.
“I always thought he was a good person. I’m going to let the families figure that out,” Trump said. “It’s accusations and I’m gonna let them figure that out.”