A Republican lawmaker wouldn’t commit to returning campaign cash he got from a MAGA congressman accused of domestic violence.
Rep. Mike Lawler of New York put up a fight against CNN’s Dana Bash when grilled on whether he would return $10,000 he received from Rep. Max Miller of Ohio, who is facing allegations of hurting his ex-wife Emily Moreno and their two-year-old daughter.
Lawler’s campaign previously told Politico that he had no plans to return the money. Instead, he shifted the spotlight to his Democratic opponent Cait Conley for attending a fundraiser hosted by Eliot Spitzer, a former New York governor who resigned amid a prostitution scandal.
Lawler, 39, doubled down on his defense after Bash asked on Thursday why he wouldn’t return the cash.
“Well, first of all, there’s been a lot of allegations leveled. I know Max very well. I’ve talked to him personally over the last two years about this very difficult family situation. It’s tragic. I don’t think anybody disagrees about that,” he said.
“This is something that should play out in family court. I think the fact that some of the media and my Democratic colleagues have tried to turn it into a spectacle and use this situation for political points is wrong,” Lawler went on before rehashing his Conley attack.
He continued, “But look, my opponent, Cait Conley, took tens of thousands of dollars from Elliot Spitzer who admitted—admitted—to trafficking young women across state lines for the purpose of prostitution.”
Bash tried to cut him off, but Lawler wouldn’t let up.
“I’m—Okay, so I’m asking you specifically about Max Miller,” she insisted. “So it sounds like you said you’ve talked to him a lot privately. It sounds like you’re saying that you’re not returning to donations because you believe him.”
Lawler took a beat before responding.
“Look, this is a private family matter that unfortunately has spilled out into the public. It should be adjudicated in family court. Max has been accused. Max has also made accusations against his ex-wife. It is tragic,” he said. “Obviously I don’t condone any level of abuse. But ultimately, there has been nothing that has been corroborated here, which is part of the reason why Max is continuing to run for re-election.”
The two continued to have a heated back and forth before Bash managed to ask, “Can you explain, just politically speaking, why not just give the money back? It’s only ten grand and you have $4.8 million cash on hand. Is it the principle, because he’s your friend and you believe him? I’m just trying to get to the bottom of why.”
“Dana, do you have information that proves the allegation? I mean, are you aware of something that the rest of us are not?” Lawler retorted as he shifted the conversation back to Conley.
“This is the typical Washington media game where it’s always an allegation comes up, you must return the money,” he said. “Everybody plays, and it doesn’t actually do anything to further the situation. If there’s evidence that Max did something, then obviously there should be a thorough investigation of that. But thus far, there’s been nothing to verify any of the claims that have been leveled.”
Miller has aggressively denied Moreno’s allegations that he hurt her and their young daughter. His ex-wife, the daughter of Ohio Sen. Bernie Moreno, filed a fresh lawsuit on Wednesday accusing Miller and his lawyer, Aaron Minc, of having “recklessly published and disclosed to the world” a picture of the child’s genitalia earlier this month.
