Sen. Bernie Moreno Says Former Son-in-Law Max Miller Shouldn’t Serve in Congress
· Time
Sen. Bernie Moreno (R, Ohio), whose daughter has leveled allegations of domestic and child abuse against her former husband Rep. Max Miller (R, Ohio), argued that Miller should not serve in the House and should “seek professional help.”
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“If there are any basic standards of character required to hold elected office, Max Miller fails them,” Moreno posted on X Sunday. “He should not serve in the House of Representatives.”
Moreno’s statement came after Miller, in a Sunday livestream, defended himself again against allegations from Moreno’s daughter Emily following their messy divorce. Miller married Emily Moreno in 2022, had a daughter with her in 2023, and filed for divorce in August 2024, which was finalized last year.
The Ohio Senator, however, had largely refrained from commenting publicly on the matter or on his former son-in-law’s reelection campaign amid the fallout. But in his statement, Moreno said that while he had hoped to keep the matter private for the safety of his family, Miller’s “increasingly erratic and dangerous behavior has made that impossible,” adding that “it has been horrific to watch this play out in full public view, all while knowing an innocent two-year-old girl is caught in the middle.” Moreno also said that he believes Miller needs professional help “to end the clear pattern of abuse he has left in his wake.”
U.S. Sen. Bernie Moreno (R, Ohio) in Capitol Hill n Washington, D.C., on July 29, 2026. —Anna Moneymaker—Getty ImagesMiller, 37, is running for reelection in Ohio’s 7th district, facing Democratic nominee Brian Poindexter in the November midterms, where the GOP would have to defend its razor-thin majority in the House.
But while Miller has the endorsement of President Donald Trump, the allegations and the ongoing court proceedings concerning Miller’s private life have become a political opportunity for Democrats. Last week, some of Miller’s Democratic House colleagues called for an ethics probe in light of the allegations.
Asked by reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday whether Miller should resign, Trump said that “so far it’s accusations,” and that he’ll be “looking at it.” Earlier this year, as the allegations against Miller surfaced, Speaker Mike Johnson told NBC News: “I don’t get involved in the personal lives of members and those things. You know, he’s refuted some of these allegations, and he’s got to work that out.”
While Moreno’s office has previously said the Senator “will not litigate these matters in the media,” he has been under pressure from critics and other observers to break his relative silence on his daughter’s legal debacle.
Miller responded to Sen. Moreno’s statement on X: “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 and the only reason you are speaking out now is to hide from your own media circus. This is all political.”
Miller continues to deny accusations
Miller used a nearly 20-minute livestream on Sunday to once again dispute the allegations his ex-wife has made, including that he abused her and their daughter, saying that they have damaged his reputation.
“Just want to be clear: no court, no agency has ever substantiated any allegation of abuse against me, no criminal charge has ever been filed against me,” Miller said. “Every single one of these allegations were already investigated, and I cooperated fully every single time because I had nothing to hide and I have nothing to hide now.”
Emily Moreno had previously told investigators that Miller threw hot water at her, shoved her, and held a gun to her head, according to court filings. Reports also surfaced of their two-year-old daughter also suffering a collarbone fracture, though the cause of the injury hasn’t been clearly determined.
Miller, in his livestream, claimed that his former spouse was facing “significant” mental health challenges, which he believes have “contributed” to her allegations. The Ohio lawmaker also posted online a public folder containing documents, video, and audio recordings that he claimed would support his account.
Miller wrapped his livestream with a vow to stay in the congressional race. “I’m winning in November, and I’ll be back in the 120th [Congress],” he said.
Emily Moreno’s spokesman Stefan Mychajliw said in a statement on social media that it was “shameful” for Miller to “go on a bizarre and lie-filled rant about his ex-wife to desperately try to save his political career.”
Miller’s previous controversies
Before being elected to the House in 2022, Miller spent six years in the Marine Corps Reserve. He also previously served in Trump’s first-term Administration, including as a senior advisor to the President.
Politico and the Washington Post have previously reported on Miller’s run-ins with the law as a young adult, including charges, which were later dismissed, for underage drinking, assault, disorderly conduct, and resisting arrest.
From 2019 to 2020, Miller dated Stephanie Grisham, a White House press secretary during Trump’s first-term Administration. Grisham has also accused Miller of abuse: she wrote in a 2021 op-ed for the Post and in a memoir the same year, without naming Miller, that her relationship with a White House staffer had “turned abusive” and that she had told Trump himself about her former partner who had “anger issues and a violent streak.”
The partner was later identified as Miller, who then sued Grisham for defamation, though he voluntarily dropped the suit in 2023 as part of a confidential settlement agreement.
This year, Grisham filed a new lawsuit against Miller for allegedly breaching that settlement. Grisham pointed to statements he made during a Spectrum News interview, and she claimed that as part of their agreement, they were not allowed to make disparaging comments about each other.