Congressman Max Miller (R-OH) has refused to abandon his reelection campaign even as President Donald Trump has reportedly expressed doubts about his ability to survive the growing allegations against him.
CBS News reported the president called Miller on Monday to raise concerns about his campaign following accusations that he assaulted his ex-wife, Emily Moreno, and their 2-year-old daughter.
According to Axios, the president repeatedly warned that Miller’s reelection prospects are not looking good, while the congressman reportedly pointed to his own polling to the contrary and told Trump he will remain in the race.
The Allegations
As reported on Wednesday’s AM Update, Congressman Miller entered the House in 2023 after receiving President Trump’s endorsement. He is now running for a third term representing Ohio’s 7th Congressional District.
The former Trump White House aide married Emily Moreno in 2022 at a ceremony at the president’s Bedminster golf club in New Jersey. Ms. Moreno, the daughter of Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-OH), separated from the congressman in 2024 before the couple’s divorce. She is now accusing her ex-husband of repeated domestic abuse, including allegedly holding a gun to her head and breaking their daughter’s collarbone.
Rep. Miller appeared on CNN Tuesday with Jake Tapper and denied all allegations that he abused either his ex-wife or their child.
“There have been two investigations that have already been looked into me… The first investigation that was looked into me was that my ex-wife Emily Moreno filed a report of child abuse against me,” he said. “That first incident, two individuals were held liable for abusing my daughter at a daycare, which I have a private settlement agreement from. I was found not guilty. They looked at my fingerprints. They made me take off my shirt. They made me look at my body to make sure that I didn’t abuse my daughter, and that was number one.”
“Number two, when I was reported for child abuse for my daughter for a broken collarbone, my daughter was in my ex-wife’s care nine out of the last 11 days and she took her to the emergency room, which is a contempt violation from our shared parenting plan,” Miller continued. “Furthermore than that, Mr. Tapper, is this: These matters have already been looked into. Miss Moreno has already gone to the police. The police are not investigating it. Ask yourself, why aren’t they investigating these things?”
The congressman went on to say he has been in therapy for 10 years and calling it “healthy to talk to somebody.”
Sen. Moreno Speaks Out
Meanwhile, Miller’s former father-in-law, Sen. Moreno, publicly called on the congressman to resign on Sunday, arguing he should seek professional help. Speaking to reporters Tuesday, the first-term senator described the toll the allegations have taken on his family.
REPORTER: What did you think of Miller telling Trump he could still win the election?
MORENO: Look, I don’t care about the politics of this. I hope that you guys understand, and maybe I hope you never have to understand what my daughter’s been through, what my daughter is going through, what my wife is going through, my two boys and my other daughter are going through. This is truly the seventh level of hell. This has been a horrific experience for my entire family… You got to remember when you don’t have kids and you get divorced, you can just say farewell. You never have to see each other again. But when you have a child, you have to co-parent with that individual for the rest of your life… 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.
Photo Controversy
The remarks followed Rep. Miller’s nearly 20-minute livestream Sunday during which he denied the allegations and directed viewers to an online file he said would support his version of events. “I’ve been portrayed as an abusive husband, an abusive father, and a violent man. Those allegations have damaged my reputation, caused enormous pain to my family, and most importantly, it’s affected our daughter. I very much am grateful for the opportunity to address you in this way,” he said.
The congressman then posted a Dropbox link containing hundreds of private messages, photographs, and videos. One photo showed the couple’s young daughter naked. The image appeared in a February 2025 exchange as Moreno and Miller coordinated custody arrangements.
Moreno informed her ex she discovered a large bruise while bathing their daughter, which prompted Miller to ask for a photograph of the injury. The bruising was later determined to be connected to a broken collarbone and prompted a police investigation that ended without criminal charges.
Miller’s attorney took responsibility for the photograph being included in the public release, telling CNN he accidentally overlooked the final three pages of the document and described the disclosure as unintentional. He said the file was amended Monday morning.
But Sen. Moreno rejected the explanation. “To have this whole thing out in the public like this is not what I wanted to do. It’s not what my daughter wanted to do. But on Sunday, when he went out and did what he did, including releasing photos of my granddaughter completely naked, that now you have hundreds of thousands of psychotic human beings that have that, and to say ‘oops’ is grotesque,” he said.
He went to say that “if there’s any minimum standard for being an elected official,” Miller “fails to meet that minimum basic standard.”
Under Investigation
The congressman, for his part, announced Tuesday he will ask the House Ethics Committee to investigate the allegations against him and said he intends to provide all necessary documents and has “absolutely nothing to hide.” The committee confirmed shortly afterward that it is opening a probe.
The push to potentially replace Miller on the November ballot comes NOTUS reported on Sunday that internal GOP polling shows him trailing his Democratic opponent, Brian Poindexter, by 5 percentage points, with 16 percent of voters still undecided.
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