Why it Matters

Rep. Max Miller (R-OH), who represents Ohio's 7th Congressional District, is facing domestic abuse allegations from his ex-wife, Emily Moreno, the daughter of Ohio Sen. Bernie Moreno. She has accused Miller of physical abuse against her and their 2-year-old daughter. Miller has denied all allegations and filed a defamation lawsuit against Moreno in May.

The situation intensified Tuesday when the House Ethics Committee announced a formal investigation, stating it is "reviewing allegations that Representative Max Miller may have engaged in domestic violence and abuse or illegal drug use in violation of the Code of Official Conduct." Miller himself had requested the inquiry. A separate controversy emerged the same day when Miller's attorney, Aaron Minc, accidentally released court documents that reportedly contained a sensitive image of Miller's daughter. Lawyers for Emily Moreno flagged that the publicly posted documents may have included possible child sexual abuse material.

Miller has said he has no plans to drop out of his reelection race.

What They're Saying

President Trump publicly called Miller "a very good person" on Aug. 3, while declining to weigh in further on the allegations, saying he was going to "let the families figure that out." Privately, however, The New York Times and Axios reported that Trump called Miller to warn him the allegations would make it "tough" to win reelection, saying "things aren't looking good." Trump stopped short of asking Miller to resign. In a CNN interview with Jake Tapper, Miller said Trump likened his situation to Trump's own 2016 presidential campaign.

Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) broke days of silence Wednesday, calling for "investigations to play out." Most House Republicans have remained quiet. POLITICO described colleagues as "silently sweating."

Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-OH), Miller's former father-in-law, was the first Republican to publicly break ranks, issuing a statement Sunday calling Miller "unfit for office" and demanding his resignation. Sen. Roger Marshall (R-KS) told POLITICO he sided with the Moreno family: "I trust Bernie so much as a good friend, and his family has such high values. I couldn't imagine them wanting this out in public. So to go through with this, it makes me think that they're telling the whole truth and nothing but the truth."

Rep. Yassamin Ansari (D-AZ) was sharper, posting on X that Miller's Sunday livestream denial were "the words of an unhinged, sociopathic narcissist with zero sense of accountability," and calling on Republicans to "demand his resignation immediately."

Miller, for his part, said Tuesday: "I have absolutely nothing to hide."

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