Ohio Republican Representative Max Miller is facing increasing pressure to resign from his own party over domestic abuse allegations, after his ex-father-in-law, GOP Senator Bernie Moreno, said he is unfit to serve in Congress.
Moreno breaks silence
Moreno, father of Miller's former wife Emily Moreno, spoke out on Sunday after months of staying quiet on the allegations concerning his daughter's alleged abuse. "If there are any basic standards of character required to hold elected office, Max Miller fails them," Moreno posted. "He should not serve in the House of Representatives."
Moreno's comments came after Miller posted a livestream video defending himself, saying his former wife had "significant mental-health challenges."
Senators side with Moreno
Several Republican senators have publicly backed Moreno. Kansas Senator Roger Marshall told Politico, "[Miller] should resign. He should quit. I don't know Mr. Miller's story, but I trust Bernie [Moreno] so much as a good friend, and his family has such high values."
West Virginia Senator Shelley Moore Capito said, "I don't know [Miller]. I haven't read a whole lot about him, but if [Moreno] thinks he ought to resign, I'm supportive of that." Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski added, "The accusations are very serious, and if there is truth to them, I am one who says that our elected officials need to be held to high standards. And certainly, when it comes to allegations of domestic abuse, child abuse, that's not what we want in our lawmakers."
Senators Rick Scott of Florida, Jim Justice of West Virginia, and Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming also gave public support to Moreno against Miller. Scott said, "I don't know enough about the allegations, but like Bernie said, it sounds like he thinks he needs psychological help. I trust Bernie."
Allegations and response
Miller, who married Emily Moreno at Trump's club in Bedminster, New Jersey, in 2022, has been accused of holding a gun to her head and scalding her with boiling water. Their toddler daughter, born in 2023, is also said to have suffered a broken collarbone due to his actions. Miller denies the allegations and has filed a defamation case against his wife over the claims. The couple divorced in 2025.
Axios reported that former President Donald Trump called Miller on Monday amid concerns that the situation threatened Republican chances of holding the congressional seat in November's midterms, when the party already faces an uphill challenge to keep its narrow majority in the House. However, Trump avoided taking sides when asked by reporters, saying, "I know Max, he's a good person. I mean, I always thought he was a very good person. And I'm going to let the families figure that out."
Miller has resisted calls to withdraw and told the Wall Street Journal that Trump "was supportive of me over the phone" on Monday's call. "He said he had a poll with no detail, and I pushed back with our poll that has us winning by 9 with our message out there," Miller said. "He kept on reiterating it's going to be tough, and it's going to be a really hard one for you."
Deadline for withdrawal
If Miller were to remove his name from the ballot before the close of business on Tuesday, a special Republican primary would be held to replace him. If he were to withdraw after that, the party would still need to replace him by 10 August, but would need to give two days' notice beforehand to hold a meeting to choose a substitute candidate.
