Sen. Bernie Moreno says former son-in-law Max Miller should not serve in the House

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. Sen. Bernie Moreno said his former son-in-law, U.S Rep. Max Miller, should not be serving in the House and should “seek professional help” as Miller defended himself against allegations of domestic abuse in a live video on X Sunday.

Moreno, who has been restrained in recent months as the bitter custody dispute has played out between Miller and his daughter Emily, said in a lengthy post that “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.”

Moreno wrote that 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.”

Miller said Sunday that he will remain in his race for re-election before a Wednesday deadline to replace him. Democrats have seen a new opportunity in his northeast Ohio congressional seat as the Republican incumbent has faced mounting pressure over domestic abuse allegations in a bitter and drawn-out custody battle with ex-wife Emily Moreno.

Accusations against Miller, who has been endorsed by President Donald Trump and was a White House adviser during Trump’s first term, have been public for years but have recently drawn increased scrutiny as back and forth in the case has escalated.

“I’m not dropping out of this race and I’ll win in November,” said Miller, who denied abusing his former wife and his daughter.

Emily Moreno has said that Miller scalded, hit and threatened her while they were married. He denied those allegations in the video, as he has in the past. She did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Miller also said he had nothing to do with a broken collarbone on their 2-year-old daughter that led Emily Moreno to contact authorities. The pair, who were married in 2022 and finalized their divorce last year, have presented different theories about how the injury occurred, according to court filings and police reports detailed in an article in the magazine Mother Jones that first revealed the child’s injury.

Miller accompanied his announcement with the release of a voluminous cache of investigative and court documents related to the custody dispute, as well as what he described as “additional evidence” not previously released to the public.

A spokesperson for Emily Moreno, Stefan Mychajliw, said Sunday that the video was “shameful.”

“No loving parent would have ever used their daughter as a PR pawn to save their own political career,” Mychajliw said. “Miller can lie and spin on X, but he cannot do so under oath in a court of law. We are confident that justice will prevail in court.”

Miller did not address years-old abuse allegations by his ex-girlfriend, Stephanie Grisham, who brought fresh litigation against him in July claiming he violated a court settlement between them not to disparage each other.

Democrats have recently called on Miller to resign, requested a congressional ethics investigation and suggested more help could be directed in the fall toward his Democratic opponent, union ironworker Brian Poindexter.

Mary Clare Jalonick And Julie Carr Smyth, The Associated Press