Sen. Bernie Moreno calls on Rep. Max Miller to resign, says he needs 'serious psychological help'

Ohio Sen. Bernie Moreno broke his silence Sunday to publicly demand that his former son-in-law, Rep. Max Miller, step down from Congress, calling him a danger to Moreno's daughter and granddaughter.

Moreno, a first-term Republican, posted a lengthy statement on X accusing Miller of a "clear pattern of abuse" against his daughter Emily Moreno and warning that Miller's behavior had grown too erratic and threatening to ignore. The statement marked a dramatic escalation of a family dispute that has spilled into Ohio Republican politics at the worst possible moment, days before the state's August 5 deadline to replace candidates on the ballot, Fox News reported.

Miller, who represents Ohio's 7th Congressional District and carries an endorsement from President Donald Trump, denied all abuse allegations and refused to resign. He fired back at Moreno on X, calling the senator's statement politically motivated.

Moreno says he can no longer stay silent

The senator's statement centered on his daughter Emily, Miller's ex-wife, and their two-year-old daughter. Miller filed for divorce in August 2024, and the couple finalized the split in December 2025. In the months since, Emily Moreno has brought domestic abuse allegations against Miller, claims he has denied and responded to with a defamation lawsuit against Emily and her lawyer.

Bernie Moreno said he had tried to keep the matter private but could no longer do so. As the Washington Examiner reported, Moreno wrote that Miller's "increasingly erratic and dangerous behavior" had forced his hand.

"As a father and husband, I can tell you the last two years have been pure h*** for my wife Bridget, our daughter Emily, me, and our entire family in the aftermath of Emily's divorce."

Moreno did not hold back about Miller's fitness for office.

"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."

He added that he believes Miller "needs to seek professional help to end the clear pattern of abuse he has left in his wake" and said Miller "should not be free to continue endangering others until he does." The senator also said he fears for his granddaughter's safety during Miller's custody time: "I hold my breath every minute he has custody of my granddaughter."

Ohio has become a recurring backdrop for high-stakes political resignations and vacancies. The state's attorney general, Dave Yost, recently stepped down, triggering a chain of downstream appointments, and a contested House seat would add another layer of uncertainty to the state's political landscape.

Miller denies every allegation and calls the attack political

Miller responded on X within hours. He did not address the specific abuse claims but accused his former father-in-law of acting out of political self-interest.

"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."

Earlier Sunday morning, Miller had posted what he called a "special announcement" on X. The full contents of that post were not quoted in available reporting, but the congressman made clear he does not intend to resign or abandon his reelection campaign.

Miller has also stated publicly that no court or agency has ever substantiated any allegation of abuse against him and that no criminal charges have been filed. He is suing Emily Moreno and her attorney for defamation over the domestic violence claims.

Abuse allegations extend beyond the Moreno divorce

The pressure on Miller is not limited to his ex-wife's accusations. Former White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham filed a new lawsuit against Miller in July, alleging he violated a confidential settlement agreement tied to prior abuse allegations she had brought against him. Emily Moreno's claims are more specific: she has alleged Miller scalded, hit, and threatened her, and that a broken collarbone on their two-year-old daughter prompted authorities to be contacted, Breitbart reported.

Miller denies all of it. But the accumulating allegations have drawn attention from both parties. Democrats have formally called for Miller to resign and requested a congressional ethics investigation. Democratic Reps. Teresa Leger Fernández, Emilia Sykes, and Hillary Scholten issued a joint statement calling the reports "deeply disturbing" and saying Congress cannot ignore them.

The issue of how Congress handles abuse allegations from its own members has gained prominence across party lines. Rep. Nancy Mace, a Republican from South Carolina, recently stepped aside from a Senate race to focus on advocacy for assault survivors, a decision that underscored how personally these issues can shape a lawmaker's political trajectory.

A slim margin and a looming deadline make this a real electoral threat

Miller won his district by a narrow margin, and the controversy has energized his Democratic challenger, Brian Poindexter. A Democrat-sponsored poll showed Miller leading Poindexter by just one point, the New York Post reported. Poindexter has seized on the allegations, saying that if they prove true, "Max Miller should be in jail, not worried about retaining a seat in Congress."

Ohio's August 5 ballot deadline adds urgency. If Miller were to step aside before that date, Republicans could replace him on the ballot. If he stays, as he has vowed to do, the party would have to defend a candidate facing mounting legal and political headwinds in a district that was already competitive.

Republican leaders have largely stood by Miller so far, though Trump advisers are said to be monitoring the situation. Bernie Moreno himself previously supported Miller financially through contributions to his political committees when Miller was married to Emily. That support is now gone, replaced by a public call for resignation from one of Ohio's own Republican senators.

The broader dynamics inside the Ohio GOP continue to shift. The state's largest police union recently switched its endorsement from a Democrat to a Republican in the state's Senate race, a sign of the party's strength statewide. But the Miller saga threatens to complicate that picture in at least one competitive House district.

Open questions remain about the legal and political fallout

Several key facts remain unresolved. The specific details of Emily Moreno's abuse allegations have not been fully laid out in public reporting. The status of Miller's defamation lawsuit, including what court it was filed in and how far it has progressed, is unclear. No criminal charges have been filed against Miller, a point he has emphasized repeatedly.

Miller's reference to Moreno's "own media circus" went unexplained. And the full content of Miller's Sunday morning "special announcement", the one in which he signaled he would not resign, has not been quoted in detail by any outlet covering the dispute.

Moreno, for his part, framed his decision to speak out as a matter of family duty. He said he ran for office to leave the country better for his children and grandchildren, and that the toll on his wife Bridget had been especially heavy. Intra-party disputes of this kind can ripple far beyond a single race, as recent confirmation fights have shown when Republican divisions surface publicly.

"I owe it to her, to Emily, and to my granddaughter to speak the truth now."

If the allegations against Miller are true, the question is not whether he should resign, it is why anyone in his own party waited this long to say so.