U.S. Sen. Jon Husted (R-OH) on Thursday called on Rep. Max Miller to end his re-election campaign and resign from Congress, breaking his silence on the mounting domestic abuse allegations against the Ohio congressman.
The defiant and embattled congressman faces growing pressure to drop out ahead of a looming deadline as Republicans grow increasingly uneasy over allegations that he emotionally and physically abused his ex-wife and toddler daughter.
“Anyone who commits domestic violence is not fit to serve in Congress,” Sen. Husted said in a statement. “I know both Max Miller and Emily Moreno, as well as their families. I am deeply saddened that their personal lives have become such a public matter, especially as it relates to their daughter, Ruthie.”
Miller’s ex-wife, Emily Moreno — the daughter of Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-OH) — has accused the congressman of holding a gun to her head, throwing hot water at her, and fracturing their daughter’s collarbone, according to The New York Times. Miller, who faces dimming odds of winning a third term, has denied the allegations, alleging his ex-wife has mental health problems amid a heated child custody battle.
Sen. Moreno was the first to call on Miller to quit Congress, adding, “He needs serious help.” One reporter pointed to a statement from Miller in which he’d said Moreno was only attacking him to “hide from” his “own circus,” and asked what that might be referencing.
“The ramblings of a madman,” Moreno said, adding, “I don’t even know what that means.”
Earlier this week, Trump called Miller to warn him about his prospects, and Miller insisted he could weather the allegations — with Democrats needing only a handful of pickups to retake the chamber.
The political argument provoked a fiery response from Moreno, telling reporters, “Look, I don’t care about the politics. I hope that you understand — or maybe I hope that you never have to understand — what my daughter has been through, what my daughter is going through, what my wife is going through … this is truly the seventh level of hell.”
Husted, who is also locked in a tough re-election fight, piled on Thursday, arguing the serious nature of the allegations and their effect on the couple’s daughter warranted an immediate exit from Washington.
“Given everything they are facing, I do not see how a campaign for Congress benefits any of them. I believe Max would be making the right decision to step aside as a candidate and resign from Congress to focus on what is in the best interest of his daughter,” Husted said.
“Years from now, I believe he will look back and know it was the right choice for her,” he added.
In damage control, Miller went on CNN’s “The Lead” with Jake Tapper and delivered a performance many viewed as disastrous.
Tapper opened the contentious interview by asking about the stuffed “little blue bunny” that Miller’s daughter took everywhere and asked whether Moreno had been telling the truth when he said Miller had refused to return it for two days: “If it’s true, that sounds like emotionally abusive behavior toward the toddler, to refuse to give into her when she can’t sleep without it.”
Without answering the question, Miller said that he agreed that it “would be incredibly disturbing” if the senator was telling the truth.
Tapper continued to press Miller over a Dropbox link he shared to bolster his defense that included a photo of his daughter in a state of undress, The Daily Wire previously reported. The link remained live for about a day before it was removed along with the image.
Tapper noted that Miller’s lawyer had accepted responsibility for the “mistake,” but insisted it was still “shockingly reckless” to allow it to happen.
Miller objected, arguing that the photo was part of the evidence in a child protective services investigation and wasn’t that inappropriate — and claimed that it was being blown out of proportion by media outlets.
Tapper, clearly taken aback, asked how he could defend releasing such a photo — and Miller immediately claimed he wasn’t defending it.
“You just defended it!” Tapper replied.
As of Thursday, both U.S. Speaker Mike Johnson and President Trump have stopped short of calling on Miller to step aside.
Polymarket gives Democrats a 70% chance of flipping Ohio’s 7th Congressional District, a seat President Trump carried in 2024.
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