Sen. Bernie Moreno urged his former son-in-law, Rep. Max Miller, to “seek help” and leave Congress after allegations surfaced that Miller abused his ex-wife and their daughter.
Miller addressed the claims during a Sunday livestream, responding to allegations raised by his ex-wife, Emily Moreno, as she pursued a restraining order in the midst of a bitter legal dispute. Multiple sources previously detailed the alleged abuse to the Daily Mail in May.
Miller, an Ohio Republican, has denied the accusations made by his former wife.
About an hour after the livestream, Senator Moreno — Emily’s father and Miller’s former father-in-law — issued a blistering post on X, describing Miller as “a danger to my daughter.”
Miller responded later Sunday with a post of his own, writing: “If my daughter said the same thing to me, I personally wouldn’t wait two years before holding him accountable.”
“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,” Miller added.
Miller did not elaborate on what he meant by “media circus.” In 2024, Moreno faced scrutiny over a 2008 Adult Friend Finder advertisement seeking gay sex.
When contacted by the Daily Mail, a spokesperson for Senator Moreno pointed to the senator’s earlier Sunday statement responding to Miller’s livestream.
A spokesperson for Miller was unable to be reached for comment.
Ohio Congressman Max Miller accused Senator Bernie Moreno (pictured) of using accusations Miller abused his wife and daughter – Moreno’s daughter and granddaughter – to cover up a scandal of his own
Miller addressed allegations of abuse made by his ex-wife, Emily Moreno, after she applied for a restraining order amid a nasty legal battle. Multiple sources revealed the details of the alleged abuse to The Daily Mail in May
Stefan Mychajliw, a spokesperson for Emily Moreno, released a statement calling Miller’s livestream ‘shameful.’
‘There is a documented trove of evidence that Miller has a history of violent and dangerous behavior and no amount of victim shaming will change that,’ the statement read.
‘It is despicable and abhorrent that Miller lied on an unhinged and humiliating video for their daughter to watch one day.’
He also accused Miller of going on ‘a bizarre and lie-filled rant about his ex-wife to desperately try to save his political career.’
Donald Trump, whom Miller worked on Trump’s 2016 campaign and eventually became a special assistant to the President, was asked about the accusations on Air Force One Sunday.
‘I’m gonna look at it. I mean, so far, it’s accusations. I’ll be looking at it,’ said Trump, who also endorsed Moreno in 2024.
The abuse claims originally reported by the Daily Mail trace back to June 9, 2024, when tensions between the couple first erupted.
Miller said during his live stream that he will provide evidence to prove his innocence.
Miller hit back at his former father-in-law in a post of his own Sunday
‘Let me begin with the most painful accusation of all, I have never abused our daughter,’ Miller stated.
‘I also want to address the allegations of domestic abuse. I categorically deny abusing my former wife,’ he continued.
Among Miller’s most damning accusations he addressed was that he physically abused his young daughter. Emails between the former partners revealed that Moreno asked him why their daughter had what appeared to be a bruise on her neck.
Miller told Moreno the two were ‘going finger painting,’ and provided images of the activity both to his ex-wife at the time, documents he released to the public showed.
The ‘fingerpainting’ exchange allegedly took place ‘just two weeks ago in mid-July.’ Miller added that Moreno took their ‘daughter to the hospital,’ and that ‘she could not wait to take her to the emergency room.’
In his speech on Sunday, Miller defiantly stated that Moreno’s allegations of abuse ‘are incredibly serious criminal accusations, concluding, If these accusations were true, I would be in jail. I would be.’
A number of times during his remarks, Miller seemed to struggle with reading his prepared words. His political team also released a slew of documents on Sunday that he believes address all allegations made against him by his ex-wife.
Addressing his political future, Miller noted, ‘I’m not getting out of this race, and I’m winning in November, and I’ll be back in 120th.’
Moreno asked Miller if their daughter Ruth had paint in ‘her hair/neck’
Miller replied to the inquiry with photographs of their daughter painting
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An earlier incident on June 9, 2024, saw the Congressman allegedly hurl a pot of boiling water at Emily during an argument inside their Ohio home, with some of the water striking her chest while their then eight-month-old daughter was present, multiple sources with direct knowledge said
Miller had faced calls to both resign immediately and not seek reelection.
In his Sunday livestream, Miller also described previous instances where he had been described as abusive, as actually being cordial or even positive with his ex-wife, and daughter.
After Miller released the document, photos, and videos via a Dropbox link, they were briefly taken offline.
Addressing the temporary absence, Miller noted in a post on X: ‘Just to be clear: these documents were produced by my personal attorneys and paid for by me directly.’
The Daily Mail originally reported on allegations dating back to at least 2024 in early May.
One alleged attack came on February 1 of this year when Miller allegedly grabbed and struck Emily, 32, during a custody exchange at his Ohio home, leaving bruises on her arm, elbow, and torso as the couple’s two-year-old daughter looked on.
Miller released video of that custody exchange on Sunday as part of his trove of material.
The video appears to show Moreno leaving Miller’s residence with their daughter in tow in a calm manner.
Congressman Miller and his ex-wife Moreno reached a divorce settlement in June 2025 and agreed to joint custody of their daughter, as well as $2,500 per month in child support from Miller. On Thursday, Moreno filed a restraining order on behalf of her attorney against Miller
Additional messages released by Miller between him and Moreno show the two conversing in a cordial manner
After his bombshell broadcast, the Senator claimed that Miller has ‘privately admitted’ he ‘needs serious psychological help,’ and called his former son-in-law a ‘danger.’
‘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,’ Bernie Moreno wrote.
‘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. 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,’ he added.
In his video, Miller also levied an accusation that Emily Moreno ‘has struggled with significant mental health challenges.’
‘I’m not raising that to embarrass her to attack her. She’s the mother of my daughter, and I sincerely hope she receives every bit of care and support that she needs,’ Miller stated, before adding, ‘This is medically diagnosed.’
During another argument inside their Ohio home about their marriage and custody of their daughter, the Congressman allegedly hurled a pot of boiling water at Emily.
Multiple sources with direct knowledge of the incident say some of the water struck Emily’s chest, with their daughter looking on.
Emily documented her injuries the same day in a photo that appears to show redness across her upper chest.
The most recent alleged attack came on February 1, when Miller allegedly grabbed and struck Emily during a custody exchange at his Ohio home, leaving bruises on her arm, elbow, and torso as the couple’s two-year-old daughter, Ruth, looked on
Donald Trump, whom Miller worked on Trump’s 2016 campaign and eventually became a special assistant to the President, said he’d been looking into the allegations when speaking to the press Sunday
Miller said that those marks were not burns and had just been hot water that he sprayed on Emily Moreno during a moment of ‘horseplay.’
Miller has faced physical assault allegations from previous partners, including former Trump White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham.
Miller’s relationship with Grisham came to an end in 2020 when he allegedly pushed her against a wall and slapped her after she accused him of cheating, according to a 2020 Politico report.
In October 2021, Grisham wrote an op-ed for the Washington Post claiming that the Trumps ‘didn’t seem to care’ when she told them her relationship with Miller had turned ‘abusive.’
Miller filed a libel suit against Grisham in 2021, which was later dismissed with prejudice before reaching a jury trial.
One source told the Daily Mail in May that Miller often uses litigation and the expenses that come with it to silence women accusing him of physical abuse.
‘He’s a rich boy,’ a senior insider told the Daily Mail at the time. ‘So anytime anyone speaks out, he uses litigation and the expenses that come with it to keep them quiet.’
In April, news reports surfaced that Bay Village police were conducting an active investigation into suspected child abuse involving the couple’s two-year-old daughter, who suffered a broken collarbone and bruised shoulder.
On March 4, Moreno filed a motion demanding a change in their custody arrangement, accusing the Congressman of ‘dangerous physical behavior in the child’s presence.’
‘I do not believe it is in our child’s best interest for [Max] and me to jointly make a decision for her. I fear that attempting to make joint decisions, and the lack of cooperation from [Max] in doing so, will cause direct harm to [their child],’ Moreno wrote in the filings at the time.
The daughter’s injuries triggered a separate investigation by the Cuyahoga County Department of Children and Family Services, according to TMZ.
Miller claimed in a March 13 court filing that he was ‘apparently cleared’ by authorities, though prior reporting has noted that the police investigation is technically still listed as active.
