Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, said in a new statement that his former son-in-law, Rep. Max Miller, R-Ohio, should not serve in Congress and should "seek professional help" as Miller has denied domestic abuse allegations from Moreno's daughter, Emily.
"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," Moreno alleged in a statement on X.
Miller, who represents a district in northeast Ohio, announced Aug. 2 that he will not drop his bid for reelection, continuing to deny his ex-wife's allegations. She has accused him of scalding her and holding a gun to her head, in addition to harming their 2-year-old-daughter.
Sen. Moreno, who has
not previously spoken out against his former son-in-law and Republican colleague in the Ohio delegation to Congress, said Miller fails character standards to hold elected office and that he "needs to seek professional help to end the clear pattern of abuse he has left in his wake." He called the last two years "pure hell" for his family.
The senator also alleged that Miller is "a danger to my daughter, and I hold my breath every minute he has custody of my granddaughter."
Miller filed a defamation suit in May against Emily Moreno and her lawyer, Andrew Zashin. Stephanie Grisham, who served as President Donald Trump's White House press secretary during his first term, has also alleged Miller physically abused her during their previous relationship. Miller has denied the allegations.
Aug. 5 would be the last day for Republicans to replace Miller on the November ballot where he faces Democratic challenger Brian Poindexter.
Miller responded to his former father-in-law in a post on X, saying Moreno's response is "all political" and motivated to "to hide from your own media circus." Moreno gained media attention last week for the explicit language he used when questioning Dr. Anthony Fauci at a congressional hearing on COVID-19.
"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," Miller said.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Sen. Moreno says ex-son-in-law should leave Congress amid abuse allegations
