Republican Rep. Max Miller is doubling down on his intention to stay in Congress — and his race for reelection in Ohio —- as allegations of domestic violence against his ex-wife break through the GOP’s stonewalling.
On Sunday morning, Miller responded
to allegations made by his former spouse Emily Moreno, the daughter of Senator Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio). Court documents and police interviews obtained by multiple news outlets over the course of the summer paint a picture of harrowing alleged abuse against Moreno, and a pattern of similar maltreatment with past partners. The sitting congressman is accused of throwing scalding water at his ex-wife, holding a gun to her head during an argument, and of hitting and shoving her on multiple occasions. Last week, Moreno filed a new request for a restraining order against Miller, alleging that he had continuously harassed her lawyer and put his hands on him during a recent hearing.
“I’m not getting out of this race, and I’m winning in November,” Miller said in a livestream addressing the accusations. The two-term congressman is now neck-and-neck in a race against Democratic challenger Brian Poindexter. The seat, which is in what should be a safe Republican district, is now in jeopardy amid the scandal surrounding Miller. The deadline to remove him from the Ohio midterm ballot is on Wednesday, and it seems unlikely he will change his mind in the next two days.
Miller attempted to shrug off the allegations of abuse in his address. “My former wife has claimed that during a custody exchange at my home that day,” he said. “If I had assaulted her, would she have offered to cook me dinner six days later?”
Miller also denied suggestions that he had ever hurt his daughter.
If the public address was supposed to quell GOP concerns, it perhaps did the opposite. Shortly after ending the livestream, Miller’s former father-in-law — Sen. Moreno — issued a scathing statement denouncing his continued presence in the House.
“Our priority has always been protecting our daughter and our granddaughter. 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,” Sen. Moreno wrote. “As he has admitted privately, Max Miller needs serious psychological help. He is a danger to my daughter, and I hold my breath every minute he has custody of my granddaughter.”
“If there are any basic standards of character required to hold elected office, Max Miller fails them. He should not serve in the House of Representatives,” he added, calling for Miller to “seek professional help to end the clear pattern of abuse he has left in his wake.”
Miller did not take the senator’s denunciation quietly, fuming on social media that if his daughter “said the same thing to me, I personally wouldn’t wait two years before holding him accountable. You know this isn’t true and the only reason you’re speaking out now is to hide from your own media circus. This is all political.”
There are certainly politics at play here, but they’re pretty directly related to Miller’s vulnerability as a candidate. According to a weekend report from Politico, GOP strategists are panicking behind-the-scenes that Miller is “Graham Platner on steroids” — referring to the Maine Senate candidate who resigned from the race last month amid allegations of past sexual misconduct.
“What happens when Democrats run ad after ad targeting GOP voters about Miller abusing the daughter of a pro-Trump MAGA senator?” one anonymous operative told Politico. “What does that do to GOP turnout? How does that affect our candidates at the top of the ticket who are already in tough races?”
And yet, it seems like that’s exactly what’s going to happen. Despite his call for Miller to leave Congress, Sen. Moreno stands virtually alone amongst elected Republicans. Miller also continues to enjoy the protection and support of his party’s Big Man: President Donald Trump. Himself no stranger to allegations of sexual misconduct, when Trump was asked on Air Force One on Sunday if Miller should resign, he dismissed the claims made by Moreno as just “allegations.”
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