Accused Wife-Beating Rep Drops Dark Hint About Senator In-law
Sen. Bernie Moreno waited weeks to publicly condemn Rep. Maz Miller over domestic abuse allegations.
X/Getty Images
MAGA Rep. Max Miller, who is accused of domestic abuse against the daughter of Sen. Bernie Moreno, suggested there was a sinister reason why the 59-year-old Ohio Republican was only now speaking out about the horrific allegations.
On Sunday, following weeks of silence, Sen. Moreno called for Miller, the ex-husband of his daughter Emily Moreno, to resign from Congress in the wake of the damning abuse allegations against him.
These include claims that Miller poured hot water on Moreno, beat her, pointed a gun at her head, and potentially broke the collarbone of their 2-year-old daughter. Miller and Moreno filed for divorce in August 2024, nearly two years after Miller was elected to Congress.
“Out of concern for the safety of my family, I hoped to keep this matter private, but Max Miller’s increasingly erratic and dangerous behavior has made that impossible,” Sen. Moreno posted on X. “He should not serve in the House of Representatives. I believe Max Miller needs to seek professional help to end the clear pattern of abuse he has left in his wake.”
Sen. Bernie Moreno added he hoped to keep the matter private, but Max Miller’s "increasingly erratic and dangerous behavior has made that impossible.:
Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
In reply to his former father-in-law, Miller, 37, pointedly suggested that he had been aware of the disturbing claims involving his own daughter, that he “personally wouldn’t wait two years” before holding the person responsible accountable.
Miller then appeared to suggest that the senator had an ulterior motive for only now speaking out against him.
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“You know this isn’t true and the only reason you are speaking out now is to hide from your own media circus,” Miller wrote. “This is all political.”
Miller did not specify what the “media circus” surrounding Moreno was. However, Moreno was himself embroiled in a potentially career-threatening scandal during his 2024 run for a Senate seat in Ohio.
The Donald Trump-endorsed Moreno, who pushed staunchly anti-LGBTQ+ views during his campaign, was linked to a 2008 online profile seeking “Men for 1-on-1 sex” on the hookup website Adult Friend Finder.
The profile stated that the user was “looking for young guys to have fun with while traveling.” The Associated Press reported that the account was created by someone with access to Moreno’s work email but could not confirm whether it was Moreno who created it.
A former intern for Moreno claimed he created the Adult Friend Finder profile as an “aborted prank” nearly two decades ago.
U.S. Rep. Max Miller and his ex-partner Emily Moreno are locked in a bitter custody battle.
MaxMillerOH/X
Last month, Mother Jones, which detailed Miller’s alleged erratic and violent behavior through unearthed custody battle court documents, reported that Miller appeared to threaten to expose Sen. Moreno in a 2024 text message.
“I’m sick of this, you know I never hurt our daughter. Take this however you want, everyone is going to get to know you better than your wife does,” Miller wrote. “Enjoy the ride brother, I wouldn’t have to do this if you could keep your lying daughter under control.”
Sen. Moreno is said to have wanted to comment on the abuse allegations earlier but was dissuaded by Emily Moreno because she did not want her daughter reading damaging claims about Miller, Politico reported.
Donald Trump endorsed Max Miller during his 2022 congressional campaign and in the one he’s currently running.
Gaelen Morse/Reuters
However, that changed on Sunday after Miller uploaded a livestream on X in which he accused his ex-wife of suffering from serious mental health issues and lying about the abuse.
“Ask yourself: If I had assaulted her, would she have offered to cook me dinner six days later? Would she have invited me to spend an afternoon at the playground with her and our daughter?” Miller said.
In a statement, Moreno spokesperson Stefan Mychajliw said it was “shameful” that Miller decided to go on a “bizarre and lie-filled rant about his ex-wife to desperately try to save his political career.”
While speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump gave a noncommittal answer when asked whether Miller should resign from the House over the allegations against him.
“Well, I’m going to look at it,” the president said. “I mean, so far it’s accusations.”
The Daily Beast has contacted the offices of Max Miller and Bernie Moreno for comment.
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