Warning: Graphic content
Washington: US Republican senator Bernie Moreno broke his silence on Sunday (Washington time) about a years-long family drama involving domestic abuse allegations against his former son-in-law, Republican congressman Max Miller, saying in an emotional statement that Miller was not fit to hold public office.
Moreno, saying the dispute had put his family through “pure hell”, scathingly denounced Miller, whose ex-wife, Emily Moreno, has accused him of abusing her and their two-year-old daughter.
“If there are any basic standards of character required to hold elected office, Max Miller fails them,” Bernie Moreno wrote in a post on the social platform X. He added: “I hold my breath every minute he has custody of my granddaughter.”
He continued: “He 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. I believe he should not be free to continue endangering others until he does.”
The Ohio senator issued his statement in reaction to an earlier, defiant livestream on Sunday by Miller, who is seeking re-election in Ohio’s 7th Congressional District. Miller denied the accusations and vowed that he was “not getting out of this race”.
Miller is running in a tight race in what had been a safe seat for Republicans before the allegations became public. Moreno’s statement, his first on the issue, seems likely to further damage Miller’s campaign, a source of concern for Republicans nationally even as they have largely maintained public silence.
The wrenching public back-and-forth came just three days before the deadline for Republicans to replace Miller on the ballot – or risk locking him in as the GOP nominee for a seat that has become competitive in large part because of the allegations against him. Miller appears to be just 1 percentage point ahead of his Democratic challenger, according to internal polling research by Democrats, in a district that US President Donald Trump won by double digits in 2024.
Until now, Republicans across the board have chosen not to denounce Miller or call for his resignation, dismissing the charges against him as mere “allegations”. It was not clear on Sunday how Moreno’s weighing in would shift the response from other Republicans.
In a roughly 20-minute livestream, Miller categorically denied all the accusations that Emily Moreno has levelled at him in court. He also claimed that she had “significant mental health challenges”, without offering any evidence.
Miller said he had never scalded Moreno’s chest and stomach by throwing hot water from a skillet at her body, as she has accused him, dismissing the incident as “horseplay in our kitchen” with water that was not boiling.
He also denied her accusation that he held a gun to her head, and he vehemently rejected her charge that he had fractured their daughter’s collarbone and bruised her shoulder.
Miller, a former staff member for Trump, blamed his daughter’s injuries on two daycare workers.
“If these accusations were true, I would be in jail,” Miller said, seated in his kitchen and reading haltingly from a script. He contended that the credibility of her assertions was undermined by the fact that he still retains joint custody after years of court battles.
In his livestream, Miller repeatedly pointed to examples of what he claimed were friendly overtures from Moreno as proof that she was fabricating the claims of abuse. “If I had assaulted her, would she have offered to cook me dinner six days later?” he asked.
Moreno is seeking to end their shared parenting agreement. The issue is expected to go to court on November 5. Last week, Moreno filed a restraining order against Miller, claiming he had harassed and threatened her lawyers.
Immediately after his livestream, Miller made public a trove of recordings, text message exchanges and court documents that he said would prove his innocence. A lawyer for Moreno did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Amid broad silence from Republicans, Democrats have called for a House ethics committee investigation into the allegations against Miller. Speaker Mike Johnson has said only that there is an ethics process for handling such accusations. He did not respond to a request for comment on Sunday.
Republican congressman Jim Jordan, also from Ohio, defended Miller in a recent interview. “This is a family matter. I know Max is a good man,” he told CNN. “I hope he wins re-election.”
Behind the scenes, however, Republicans in Trump’s orbit have said they are alarmed by Miller’s decision to go on the offensive against Moreno and are concerned about his re-election campaign.
Miller, however, expressed deep confidence on Sunday that he would be back in Congress next year.
“This election to me is about my family and about our daughter and keeping our values here and holding the media and other individuals accountable,” he said.
Emily Moreno is not the first woman to level domestic abuse allegations against Miller. In her memoir, Stephanie Grisham, a former White House press secretary, wrote that she dated someone in the administration who was physically abusive. She later acknowledged that she had been referring to Miller.
If you or anyone you know needs support, you can contact the National Sexual Assault, Domestic and Family Violence Counselling Service on 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732), Lifeline 131 114, or Beyond Blue 1300 224 636.
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
More: