A public feud has erupted over domestic abuse allegations against U.S. Representative Max Miller of Ohio, drawing in his former father-in-law, U.S. Senator Bernie Moreno, according to a report by FOX 26. The dispute has spilled into public view as Miller pursues re-election.
The allegations were made by Miller's ex-wife, Emily Moreno, who is Senator Bernie Moreno's daughter. In a livestream, Miller denied the domestic abuse allegations, saying that no court and no agency has ever substantiated any allegation of abuse against him and that no criminal charge has ever been filed against him.
A statement issued on behalf of Emily Moreno through her spokesperson said there is a documented trove of evidence that Miller has a history of violent and dangerous behavior, adding that no amount of victim shading would change that. The statement pushed back directly on Miller's account.
The spokesperson's statement called Miller's video despicable and abhorrent, and accused him of lying on an unhinged and humiliating video for their daughter to watch one day. It said no loving parent should have ever used their daughter as a PR pawn to save their own political career.
Miller can lie and spin on X, but he cannot do so under a court of law, the statement said, according to FOX 26. We are confident that justice will prevail in court, it added, framing the matter as one that would ultimately be settled through legal proceedings.
Senator Bernie Moreno also spoke out. In a lengthy statement, he said the last two years have been pure hell for his wife Bridget, his daughter Emily, himself and their entire family in the aftermath of Emily's divorce, and that it has been horrific to watch this play out in full public view.
Moreno said an innocent two-year-old girl is caught in the middle, and that protecting his daughter and granddaughter had always been the family's priority. He said he had hoped to keep the matter private, but that Miller's increasingly erratic and dangerous behavior had made that impossible.
According to the report, Moreno wrote in an affidavit that unless restrained, Miller would continue to harass and threaten and would communicate with his counsel directly. Miller, who has said he will not drop out of his re-election race, has characterized Moreno's statement as political. The dispute is unfolding ahead of the midterm elections.