Rep. Max Miller (R-OH) is taking the unusual step of calling for a House Ethics Committee investigation into himself as he comes under pressure to resign or not seek reelection amid domestic violence allegations made against him by his ex-wife, Emily Moreno, the daughter of Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-OH).
“In light of all the renewed interest in my family affairs I am going to file my own paperwork for an ethics investigation into myself to clear my name from these horrific attacks on myself and family,” Miller wrote in a post on X on Tuesday. “I have absolutely nothing to hide.”
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Miller added that he and his aides would “be providing the committee all necessary documents needed for a detailed examination.”
“The accusations continue to change, but my facts stay the same,” he wrote. “I am looking forward to my colleagues reading everything for themselves.”
House Committee on Ethics Chairman Michael Guest (R-MS) and Ranking Member Mark DeSaulnier (D-CA) confirmed on Tuesday that the panel is “reviewing allegations” that Miller “may have engaged in domestic violence and abuse or illegal drug use in violation of the code of official conduct or any other applicable standard of conduct.”
“The committee notes that the mere fact that it is investigating these allegations, and publicly disclosing its review, does not itself indicate that any violation has occurred,” the pair wrote in a statement.
Bernie Moreno, who commented on the divorce and custody battle between his daughter and the former Trump campaign and administration aide for the first time last weekend, made his first on-camera remarks on Tuesday when he was stopped by reporters in one of the Senate’s office buildings.
“This is truly the seventh level of hell,” the senator said. “This has been a horrific experience for my entire family. My daughter lives in constant fear of this man, not like something that’s existential, but deeply in her heart, she fears what this guy is capable of. You can’t fathom what that makes me feel like when the dad’s No. 1 job is to protect your kids. This has been brutal beyond comprehension.”
After remaining quiet at the request of his daughter, Moreno said it was the combination of Miller’s 20-minute video livestreamed last weekend and his and his attorneys’ mishandling of disclosure documents, which resulted in a naked photo of his 2-year-old granddaughter being posted online, that prompted him to respond.
The senator also alleged that during a custody changeover last weekend, Miller would not give his daughter a plush toy with which she sleeps.
“She has a little blue bunny that she sleeps with,” he said. “Max would not hand over the little blue bunny. Literally held it hostage for 48 hours. This girl is crying at night because she can’t sleep without her little blue bunny. His answer is, ‘I’m just not going to give it to you.’ … This is the level of total and complete depravity.”
One of Miller’s attorneys, Aaron Minc, took responsibility on Tuesday for not properly removing or redacting sensitive material from the documents, which were released by the congressman in an effort to clear his name.
Emily Moreno’s lawyers have alleged that the inclusion of the photograph could be considered “child sexual abuse material,” with her father, the senator, on Tuesday claiming that it could be a felony offense.
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“I missed the last three pages of a 40+ page document with sensitive content,” Minc, the Miller attorney, wrote in a statement. “It was completely unintentional and a mistake. … I am solely responsible for what happened.”
“I am truly sorry to Congressman Miller, Ms. Moreno, both of their families, and, especially, to their daughter,” Minc continued. “… I find it egregious and shameful that Ms. Moreno and here counsels have decided to make a media spectacle regarding this unfortunate mistake and attract media attention to this incident as a means to try to gain leverage in court and distract from the underlying evidence that exonerates Mr. Miller from the false allegations he is accused of, and we are attempting to fight on his behalf.”
