When Rep. Max Miller, R-Ohio, went on CNN on Aug. 4 to answer allegations of domestic violence, he made a comparison that stopped me in my tracks.
When speaking to host Jake Tapper about a conversation he’d had earlier in the week with President Donald Trump, Miller brought up the fact that Trump had also gone through a scandal when he ran in 2016 – and ended up winning.
“People in the media, very much like yourself and others, said that he would have no shot at winning, that he should not be the president of the United States,” Miller said. “But guess what? He stayed in and he was resilient.”
In this perceived act of defiance, the Republican congressman said the quiet part out loud – being accused of harming women is not a death knell for a political
campaign, and it hasn’t been for quite some time.
Most MAGA voters would vote for Republican accused of abuse
When Trump ascended to the presidency despite multiple accusations of sexual misconduct and the resurfacing of an "Access Hollywood" tape where he bragged about grabbing women by the genitals, Republicans acquiesced any moral high ground they might have assumed they had.
But don’t take my word for it – take it from Republicans themselves.
A new Politico survey found that 72% of Make America Great Again voters would still vote for a Republican candidate accused of domestic violence. In fact, most MAGA voters polled in the survey said they’d support a Republican candidate through just about anything.
What are the allegations against Rep. Max Miller?
Emily Moreno, Miller’s ex-wife and a conservative policy adviser, told public officials that the congressman engaged in an array of concerning behavior, including throwing hot water on her and holding a gun to her head.
These claims resurfaced during a child protective services investigation into a fractured collarbone that appeared on Miller’s 2-year-old daughter.
There are other allegations of concerning behavior regarding Miller’s toddler.
During the conversation on CNN, Tapper asked Miller about his daughter’s “little blue bunny” – a stuffed toy that the child sleeps with that Miller reportedly held hostage for two days. The accusation came from Miller's former father-in-law, Republican Ohio Sen. Bernie Moreno, who has called on Miller to resign.
"If it's true, that sounds like emotionally abusive behavior," Tapper said.
The House member answered: "Jake, I would agree that if that were true."
Miller also recently posted a nude photo of the child online, which many have argued is an instance of disseminating child pornography. His lawyer has claimed responsibility and called it “completely unintentional and a mistake.”
Moreno is not the only woman who has accused Miller of horrific behavior. Former White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham filed a temporary restraining order against Miller on Aug. 2 following a yearslong legal battle between the two. That feud originated when Grisham wrote a Washington Post opinion column about an abusive relationship she’d had with a White House staffer.
Multiple high school classmates also claim that Miller pushed a girl out of his room as a teen, leading the girl to fall downstairs, according to Politico.
If all of these allegations are true, this is clearly a pattern of behavior that is unbecoming of any sitting elected official, regardless of proximity to the president. Unfortunately, Trump's repeat offenses are what we’re measuring everyone else’s failures against, and nothing seems to be enough for Republicans to condemn their own.
Miller is the latest politician to be accused of horrible things
If you aren’t horrified by the accusations against Miller – which, I would like to point out, primarily come from women who are affiliated with the Republican Party to some degree – you need to do a moral inventory and ask yourself why you do not believe these women who have everything to lose.
Republicans are past the point of taking any sort of moral standing in the Miller case. Some have rightfully called on Miller to step down. Aside from his former father-in-law, they include Sens. Jon Husted of Ohio, Roger Marshall of Kansas and Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia.
Yet it appears the only people Miller will listen to are the president and maybe House Speaker Mike Johnson. Both have stopped short of calling on the Ohio congressman to resign, which should have happened already.
This isn’t even the only accusation of abuse in Congress right now – Republican Rep. Chuck Edwards of North Carolina just suspended his reelection campaign after the House Ethics Committee found he had engaged in concerning behavior with two female staffers.
And let’s not forget the Democrats’ own scandals with former Senate candidate Graham Platner and former Rep. Eric Swalwell of California.
Still, it seems that the problem of abuse in politics is plaguing the GOP, and will continue to do so until Republicans have a reckoning over what Trump's ascent has meant for them. It won't be until they grapple with this that they will ensure abusers have no place to continue seeking power.
Follow USA TODAY columnist Sara Pequeño on Bluesky: @sarapequeno.bsky.social
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Max Miller knows abuse allegations don't end GOP campaigns | Opinion
