Rep. Max Miller is facing fresh criticism from his former father-in-law, Sen. Bernie Moreno, who alleged Tuesday that the Ohio congressman withheld his young daughter’s cherished stuffed animal for two days — conduct Moreno described as showing “total and complete depravity.”
Moreno (R-Ohio), who on Sunday publicly urged Miller (R-Ohio) to step down from Congress over alleged abusive treatment of his ex-wife, Emily Moreno, and their 2-year-old child, said his family has been living through what he called “the seventh level of hell” because of Miller’s behavior.
“I had to go pick [the girl] up, because I don’t want my daughter interacting with this man, so I go to meet him at the Bay Village Police Station…because I don’t know what this guy is capable of,” Moreno said, referencing the Cleveland-area suburb where the family lives.
According to Moreno, his granddaughter relies on “a little blue bunny” to fall asleep — but he claimed Miller refused to turn over the stuffed toy, “literally” keeping it from the child for 48 hours.
“This girl is crying at night because she can’t sleep without her little blue bunny, and his answer is: ‘I’m just not going to give it to you,’” Moreno said. He added that Miller eventually returned the toy on Sunday, the same day the congressman released a collection of digital files assembled by his attorney in an effort to defend himself — materials that included a shirtless photo of the young girl.
Moreno objected sharply to the image’s release, saying, “Now you have hundreds of thousands of psychotic human beings that have that.”
“And to say, ‘Oops’ – that is grotesque,” he continued. “Every single human being that touched that photo and transmitted it electronically should go to jail, because it is illegal to do that.”
Calling the ordeal “brutal beyond comprehension,” Moreno argued that Miller falls short of what he views as the baseline standard expected of an elected official.
“My daughter lives in constant fear of this man…deeply in her heart, she fears what this guy is capable of. You can’t fathom what that makes me feel like, when a dad’s number one job is to protect your kids,” he added.
Miller and Emily are locked in a bitter custody battle over the tot after he filed for divorce in August 2024. The 37-year-old congressman also sued his ex in May for defamation over her abuse allegations.
On Tuesday, the House Ethics Committee confirmed it was launching an investigation into allegations that Miller “engaged in domestic violence and abuse or illegal drug use in violation of the Code of Official Conduct” – after the incumbent publicly requested the probe.
“In light of all the renewed interest in my family affairs I am going to file my own paperwork for an ethics investigation into myself to clear my name from these horrific attacks on myself and family,” Miller wrote on X Tuesday morning.
“I have absolutely nothing to hide…The accusations continue to change, but my facts stay the same,” he continued in the post. “I am looking forward to my colleagues reading everything for themselves.”
Moreno – who has repeatedly called on Miller to get psychological help – ripped his former son-in-law for embarking on “a publicity tour” while the Moreno family, including Emily, has largely refrained from addressing the abuse allegations publicly.
“Remember, at the end of the day, that little two-year-old is going to be an adult…she’s gonna have high-definition videos, she’s gonna have news stories, she’s gonna have everything out there. She’s gonna read that as an adult going, ‘What the heck happened and why is my life the subject of so much publicity?’” the grandfather said.
“It is grotesque where we are today,” he added.
If Miller drops out before Wednesday, Republicans in Ohio will be able to hold a quickie primary to replace him on the ballot.
A recent Democrat-backed poll showed Miller with a one-point edge over Bernie Sanders-backed challenger Brian Poindexter in Ohio’s 7th District, which President Trump won by 11 points in 2024.
