Trump-endorsed Rep. Max Miller said he is filing for an ethics investigation into himself in an effort to exonerate himself from allegations that include domestic violence.
The Ohio Republican wrote in an X post on Tuesday that he would file paperwork with the House Ethics Committee “to clear my name from these horrific attacks on myself and family.
“I have absolutely nothing to hide,” Miller, 43, wrote.
“We will be providing the committee all necessary documents needed for a detail examination,” he continued. “The accusations continue to change, but my facts stay the same. I am looking forward to my colleagues reading everything for themselves.”
Miller’s announcement came mere hours before the official deadline for him to drop out and allow Ohio Republicans to trigger a special primary or substitute a replacement candidate on the November ballot.
The move marks the first time a House member has requested an ethics investigation into themselves since 2008 and is the latest act of defiance from a candidate facing mounting pressure to step down, including from fellow Ohio Republican and former father-in-law, Sen. Bernie Moreno.
Miller and Moreno’s daughter, GOP political operative Emily Moreno, have been engaged in a bitter custody battle over their 2-year-old daughter. Their legal dispute has publicized Moreno’s allegations that the two-term congressman has poured hot water on her, beaten her, pointed a gun at her head, and broken the collarbone of their toddler. He has repeatedly denied the allegations. Spokespersons for Moreno and Miller did not respond to a request for comment.
Earlier on Tuesday, Moreno’s attorneys sent a legal letter to Miller’s team accusing him of sharing a photo of their daughter that could be considered “Child Sexual Abuse Material because the daughter’s genitals appear to be visible.”
Attorney Subodh Chandra alleged that the photo of their daughter garnered more than 200,000 views before it was taken down on Monday afternoon. “We write to demand an explanation about how this occurred,” the letter, obtained by the New York Times, reads.
The photo was allegedly in a Dropbox folder containing hundreds of pages of documents Miller shared on Sunday, which he said would clear his name of the allegations against him.
Miller’s attorney Aaron Minc said he was “the only person responsible for assembling, creating, reviewing, adding, deleting, redacting, or making any changes to the information and files that were in this folder,” in a statement obtained by Punchbowl News.
Minc added that he was “truly sorry to Congressman Miller, Ms. Moreno, both of their families, and, especially, to their daughter.”
Miller also defiantly refused to drop out of his congressional race during a 25-minute livestream on Sunday, where he accused his ex-wife, without evidence, of having mental health issues and of lying during their custody battle.
“This isn’t about defending myself. I’m speaking up as a father, trying to protect our daughter. For months, my family and I have watched how people have been relentlessly attacked,” he said.
Minutes later, Sen. Bernie Moreno broke his silence on Miller in an emotional post on X, calling for Miller to be removed from Congress and alleging he fails the “basic standards of character” required to hold elected office.
“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,” the MAGA Republican, who had largely avoided speaking publicly about his daughter’s divorce and the abuse allegations, wrote.
President Donald Trump, however, has yet to criticize Miller, a loyal staffer during his first term. Trump attended Miller and Moreno’s wedding, which was held at his golf course in Bedminster, New Jersey.
During Miller’s stint in the Trump administration, he had a romantic relationship with former White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham, who accused him of pushing her and slapping her across the face when she confronted him about cheating. He vehemently denied the allegations and later sued her for defamation over a book she published.
On Sunday, Trump addressed the allegations surrounding Miller while saying he would “look at it.”
“I mean, so far, it’s accusations,” he said at Joint Base Andrews, according to The New York Times.
The Times reported that Miller is just a percentage point ahead of his Democratic opponent in the polls. He represents a congressional district that was reliably red in 2024.
