The allegations against Representative Max Miller have become so loud that the Ohio Republican has decided to launch a House ethics investigation into himself in a flagrant attempt to salvage his spiraling midterm campaign.
“In light of all the renewed interest in my family affairs I am going to file my own paperwork for an ethics investigation into myself to clear my name from these horrific attacks on myself and family,” Miller wrote on X Tuesday. “I have absolutely nothing to hide.
“We will be providing the committee all necessary documents needed for a detail examination,” he continued. “The accusations continue to change, but my facts stay the same. I am looking forward to my colleagues reading everything for themselves.”
Shortly after his post, the House Ethics Committee announced it was opening an investigation into Miller. The investigation will effectively give Miller exactly what he wants: a chance to stay in a midterm race that he is almost certainly going to lose. Miller has repeatedly rejected calls for his exit, despite mounting public pressure to do so. Wednesday, August 5, marks the last day for Miller to withdraw.
Emily Moreno, Miller’s ex-wife, has accused the congressman of physically hurting her and their two-year-old daughter. In court filings and police reports, Moreno has charged Miller with throwing her against a wall, leaving an “obvious grab mark on her upper arm”; throwing scalding water on her (an incident that Miller refuted as “horseplay”); and having “held a gun to her head.” Moreno also recounted an instance in which their daughter told her, “Daddy kill you.”
Medical records submitted during the couple’s custody dispute cited several injuries to their young daughter, as well, including a broken collarbone that Moreno claimed occurred during Miller’s care.
Moreno’s father, Senator Bernie Moreno, accused Miller Tuesday of holding his toddler’s favorite stuffed animal “hostage,” even as she struggled to sleep without it.
“This is truly the seventh level of hell,” Senator Moreno told CBS News Tuesday. “My daughter lives in constant fear of this man, not like something that’s existential, but deeply in her heart, she fears what this guy is capable of.”
Miller has categorically denied the allegations and sued his ex-wife for defamation in May. He was never charged with a crime, and the Department of Children and Family Services did not find evidence to substantiate allegations of child abuse, according to court filings.
Miller published audio recordings of some of their private disagreements in an attempt to prove his innocence, but in doing so incidentally publicized more accusations against him by his wife related to suspected drug abuse. In one clip, Moreno can be heard accusing her ex-husband of keeping needles by his bedside and abusing THC and weed products.
While publishing the audio recordings, Miller also accidentally shared a folder that contained images of his daughter, including one that appears to show her genitals. His ex-wife’s lawyers warned the image “could be considered Child Sexual Abuse Material.”
It took the Ohio senator weeks to get publicly involved in the dangerous affair affecting his daughter and granddaughter, but Moreno finally denounced Miller on Sunday, writing in a post on X that the Donald Trump–backed Republican should “not serve in the House of Representatives.”
“I believe Max Miller needs to seek professional help to end the clear pattern of abuse he has left in his wake,” the senator said.
Trump has repeatedly backed Miller, despite the loaded allegations. On Monday, Trump insisted to reporters that Miller is a “good person.”
“I mean I always thought he was a very good person. And I’m going to let the families figure that out,” Trump said. “It’s accusations. And I’m going to let them figure that out.”
But by that evening, even the president could see the writing on the wall for Miller’s November prospects. The president reportedly phoned Miller to explain that “things aren’t looking good” and that the road ahead to reelection would be tough, multiple sources familiar with the call told Axios.
The scandals have only continued to mount for Miller: By Tuesday afternoon, the Daily Mail had obtained and circulated images of Miller holding weed gummies, as well as of the needles that were purportedly kept by Miller’s bedside.
This story has been updated.
