Story
Aug 6, 2026
Max Miller Defies Republicans as Abuse Allegations Threaten His Reelection
Rep. Max Miller says he will stay in the race and calls the allegations against him false, while his former father-in-law and several Republicans say he is unfit for office. A House ethics probe and private White House concerns have intensified the pressure.
Rep. Max Miller is fighting to preserve both his congressional seat and political standing as allegations of domestic violence and drug use turn a family dispute into a Republican liability.
Miller, an Ohio Republican seeking reelection, denies the accusations made by his former wife, Emily Moreno, and says they are politically motivated. He has vowed not to resign, arguing that abandoning his campaign would reward what he calls “false and baseless allegations.”1 He has also asked the House Ethics Committee to investigate him, saying, “I have absolutely nothing to hide.”2
The committee subsequently opened a probe into whether Miller “may have engaged in domestic violence and abuse or illegal drug use.”3 It stressed that an investigation does not establish that the allegations occurred. Still, the inquiry gives institutional weight to claims that had previously been confined largely to court filings, police reports and a bitter custody dispute.
Moreno’s father, Republican Sen. Bernie Moreno, has taken the opposite position from Miller. He says the congressman fails “any basic standards of character required to hold elected office” and “should not serve in the House of Representatives.”4 A spokesman for Emily Moreno likewise accused Miller of relying on “victim shaming,” while saying there is a documented record of dangerous behavior.5
The Republican response has split between caution and alarm. Several senators, including Roger Marshall and Lisa Murkowski, have supported calls for Miller to resign, though some conditioned their judgments on the allegations being substantiated. President Trump has publicly called Miller “a good person” while saying he would let the families resolve the matter; behind the scenes, Trump and White House officials have reportedly questioned whether Miller can win.
That contrast exposes the central political calculation: Miller frames persistence as resilience, invoking Trump’s own survival under scandal, while party figures see the allegations—and the ethics investigation—as a threat to a narrowly held House majority. For now, Miller’s refusal to leave forces Republicans to choose between defending a nominee who denies wrongdoing and replacing him before ballot deadlines.