Sen. Bernie Moreno Calls for Ex-Son-in-Law Rep. Max Miller to Resign Over Abuse Allegations

Sen. Bernie Moreno went public Sunday with the sharpest statement yet from a Republican official on the allegations against Rep. Max Miller, calling on his former son-in-law to resign from Congress.

The Ohio senator's statement, posted on X and viewed close to a million times within 90 minutes according to the Daily Beast, marks a shift from days earlier. As recently as Friday, when NOTUS asked Moreno whether Miller should continue his re-election campaign, the senator said only, "I don't know."

That changed hours after Miller posted a 25-minute livestream Sunday morning denying the allegations and confirming he would not drop out of the race, according to the Washington Examiner and the Guardian. Wednesday is the deadline to replace him on the ballot in Ohio's seventh congressional district.

What Moreno Said

"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, according to all three outlets. "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."

Moreno also wrote that Miller "has admitted privately" that he needs "serious psychological help," and said, "He is a danger to my daughter, and I hold my breath every minute he has custody of my granddaughter," according to the Daily Beast and the Washington Examiner.

The senator said he had tried to keep the matter private. "As a father and husband, I can tell you the last two years have been pure hell for my wife Bridget, our daughter Emily, me, and our entire family in the aftermath of Emily's divorce," Moreno said, according to the Washington Examiner. "Out of concern for the safety of my family, I hoped to keep this matter private but Max Miller's increasingly erratic and dangerous behavior has made that impossible."

Miller's Response

Miller pushed back directly at his former father-in-law. "If my daughter said the same thing to me, I personally wouldn't wait two years before holding him accountable," Miller said, according to the Washington Examiner. "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."

In his livestream, Miller said the allegations against him have never been substantiated by any outside authority. "No court, no agency has ever substantiated any allegation of abuse against me. No criminal charge has ever been filed against me," Miller said, according to the Guardian. "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."

Miller framed his appearance as protective of his daughter rather than defensive of himself. "This isn't about defending myself. I'm speaking up as a father, trying to protect our daughter," he said, according to the Daily Beast. He also pointed to Emily Moreno's continued contact with him after the alleged incidents as evidence against her claims. "Ask yourself: If I had assaulted her, would she have offered to cook me dinner six days later? Would she have invited me to spend an afternoon at the playground with her and our daughter?"

The Daily Beast reported that Miller "slurred his words and spoke in a monotone voice" during the livestream and that he accused Emily Moreno, a Republican operative, of having mental health issues and fabricating the allegations. Miller has also filed a defamation lawsuit against Emily Moreno and her attorney over the abuse claims.

Emily Moreno has testified, in connection with Miller's defamation suit against her, that Miller "took hot water from a pan he had just cooked eggs in and threw it at me," according to the Guardian, and has separately accused him of holding a gun to her head and of causing the couple's toddler daughter's broken collarbone. Those allegations are made in legal filings and testimony, not findings by a court, agency, or law enforcement body. Miller's statement that no court or agency has substantiated any allegation, and that no criminal charges have been filed, is accurate based on the available reporting. That does not mean the allegations are false. The adversarial legal process, including Miller's own defamation suit, has not yet produced a ruling on the merits either way.

Moreno's about-face is itself notable given his position. He is a sitting U.S. senator whose daughter is one of the accusers, and he had avoided taking a public position for roughly two years, per the Washington Examiner, until three days before this statement when he told NOTUS he didn't know if Miller should stay in the race. His shift came only after Miller's livestream, in which Miller cited Emily Moreno's mental health struggles as a reason to discount her claims. Whether Moreno's statement reflects new information or simply a father's reaction to watching his daughter's credibility attacked publicly is not something these sources resolve.

Republicans in Ohio's seventh district have largely stayed quiet on the race, according to the Guardian, even as Democrats increasingly view the seat as a pickup opportunity in November. Miller has confirmed he intends to remain on the ballot past Wednesday's replacement deadline. The custody dispute between Miller and Emily Moreno over their two-year-old daughter, ongoing since 2024, continues separately in family court, with no outcome reported in these sources.