Ohio Republican Sen. Bernie Moreno publicly called on fellow GOP Rep. Max Miller to leave Congress and seek professional help, after months of silence over allegations that Miller abused Moreno's daughter and may have harmed their two-year-old child.
Moreno posted a lengthy statement on X declaring that Miller "should not serve in the House of Representatives" and calling him "a danger to my daughter." The statement marked a sharp departure for the senator, who had previously refused to comment publicly on the bitter divorce and abuse allegations that have engulfed Miller's personal life and political career since late 2024.
Miller, who represents Ohio's 7th Congressional District, a seat in the Cleveland suburbs that Donald Trump carried by 11 points in 2024, fired back immediately. He accused his former father-in-law of lying, called the public statement "all political," and vowed he would not step down before November's election.
In his X post, Moreno described the period since his daughter Emily's divorce from Miller as devastating for his entire family.
"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 he had hoped to keep the matter private, but that Miller's conduct left him no choice. As the New York Post reported, Moreno wrote that "Max Miller's increasingly erratic and dangerous behavior has made that impossible."
The senator went further, claiming Miller had privately acknowledged needing help.
"As he has admitted privately, Max 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. If there are any basic standards of character required to hold elected office, Max Miller fails them."
Moreno added that his priority "has always been protecting our daughter and our granddaughter", the two-year-old child at the center of some of the most disturbing allegations in the case.
The abuse allegations against Miller extend beyond his ex-wife. In February, Emily Moreno took the couple's daughter to a doctor for an X-ray. The child was diagnosed with a broken collarbone. A police report noted "what appeared to be a handprint bruise" on the toddler's shoulder.
Miller has adamantly denied responsibility for the child's injuries.
But the allegations involving Emily herself are backed by more than her word alone. Court documents filed in the case include images showing Emily with red spots across her body, along with a blue-inked handwritten note attributed to Miller. The note reads, in part: "I'm sorry I failed you and [our daughter]" and "I'm just a f---up and worthless."
Miller has denied the letter was connected to the hot water incident Emily described. In secret audio recorded in August 2024, without Emily's knowledge, according to the source context, Emily confronted Miller directly.
"You poured steaming hot water on me, and you've also been... emotionally abusive, and I have photos of me that my mom took at my house with me with scars on my neck, and you've actually seen those photos."
On that same recording, Miller acknowledged hurting Emily with hot water but denied doing so intentionally.
Before Moreno issued his statement, Miller took to X with a livestream in which he denied every abuse accusation and went on offense against his ex-wife. He alleged Emily suffers from bipolar disorder, a claim Emily has disputed.
"I've been portrayed as an abusive husband, an abusive father, and a violent man. Let me begin with the most painful accusation of all, I have never abused our daughter."
After Moreno's post went live, Miller responded on X with a pointed jab at his former father-in-law's timing. He wrote that if his own daughter had made similar allegations, "I personally wouldn't wait two years before holding him accountable." Miller also accused Moreno of speaking out only "to hide from your own media circus," calling the entire episode "all political."
The accusation of political motivation carried a specific edge. Just days earlier, Moreno had drawn media attention for profane remarks directed at Dr. Anthony Fauci during a Senate committee hearing. When the outlet NOTUS asked Moreno last week whether Miller should run for reelection, the senator gave a noncommittal answer, saying he "doesn't know."
His X statement days later left no room for ambiguity.
The legal wreckage surrounding the Miller-Moreno divorce is extensive. Miller filed for divorce from Emily in August 2024, on their second wedding anniversary. The couple had married in 2022 at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey.
In June, a judge imposed a restraining order on both Miller and Emily, barring them from "disparaging the other in front of the minor child and using social media/electronic devices or third parties to threaten, harass, or annoy the other."
Whether Miller's public livestream, in which he discussed the allegations and attacked Emily's mental health, complied with that order is an open question. Emily's lawyer separately sought a restraining order against Miller for allegedly trying to goad him into a fight and for harassment.
Last month, a judge formally dismissed a domestic violence case Miller had filed against Emily. Miller also sued Emily for defamation. That suit remains active.
Emily Moreno is not the first woman to accuse Max Miller of abuse. Former White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham previously accused him of abusive behavior. Miller was also arrested for drunk driving when he was in college.
Emily herself has not spoken publicly about the accusations. The allegations have surfaced through police reports, court filings, and testimony, not media interviews or press conferences. Sen. Moreno's statement represented the first time a member of Emily's family broke that public silence.
The political fallout may matter as much as the personal wreckage. Ohio's 7th District should be safe Republican territory. Trump won it by double digits. But a Democrat-sponsored poll conducted in June showed Miller leading his general election opponent, Democrat Brian Poindexter, by just one point.
If those numbers hold, and if Moreno's public rebuke further damages Miller's standing with Republican voters, the seat could become a genuine pickup opportunity for Democrats in a district where they have no business competing.
Miller has said he will not resign. Moreno has said Miller should not serve. Neither man appears willing to back down.
When a sitting U.S. senator tells the public he fears for his granddaughter's safety every time a sitting congressman has custody, voters in that district deserve a candidate who doesn't require that kind of warning label.
