Ohio Jewish congressman calls for ethics investigation on self over abuse allegations

Rep. Max Miller (R-Ohio) said he intended to file paperwork to begin a House Ethics Committee investigation against himself on Tuesday in an effort to resolve allegations from his ex-wife that he abused her.

“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. “I have absolutely nothing to hide.”

Miller’s former father-in-law, Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio), called on Miller to resign from Congress on Sunday over allegations that Miller physically abused Moreno’s daughter and granddaughter.

“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,” Moreno wrote shortly after Miller posted a 20-minute video denying the allegations.

“If there are any basic standards of character required to hold elected office, Max Miller fails them,” Moreno wrote. “He should not serve in the House of Representatives.”

Miller was married to Moreno’s daughter Emily from 2022 to 2024, and the former couple shares custody of a daughter.

On Thursday, Emily Moreno asked a court to issue a restraining order against Miller, alleging that he “harassed, threatened” and inappropriately communicated with her lawyers during the ongoing custody dispute over their daughter.

She has also previously accused him of holding a gun to her head, pushing her against a wall and throwing hot water at her, and previously sought a police investigation into whether he had broken their daughter’s collarbone.

In the video that he posted on Sunday, Miller accused his ex-wife of being mentally ill and released a cache of files, including police records, court documents and audio recordings, that he says show that the claims against him were investigated and could not be substantiated.

“That never happened,” Miller said, of the claim that he pointed a gun at his ex-wife. “Absolutely outrageous.”

“These are incredibly serious criminal accusations, and if these accusations were true, I would be in jail,” he said.

On Monday, lawyers for Miller’s ex-wife said supporting documents Miller released included private images of the couple’s daughter. They alleged that at least one image appeared to show the child’s genitals and “could be considered child sexual abuse material.”

Miller’s attorney, Aaron Minc, took sole responsibility on Tuesday for releasing the sensitive information, calling it an “unfortunate mistake” and denying that the noted image included the child’s genitals, Politico reported.

“A two-year-old girl had her shirt off,” Minc told the outlet. “That is a deliberately false, sensationalized and disgusting characterization.”

Miller, 37, is a former Marine who served as an adviser to President Donald Trump during his first term.

He was elected to the House in 2022 from Ohio’s 7th Congressional District outside Cleveland and is one of four Jewish Republicans in Congress.

He handily won re-election in 2024 in a district that Trump won by 11 percentage points.

He ran unopposed in Ohio’s Republican primary election in May and is set to face Brian Poindexter, an ironworker, in the general election in November.

Cook Political Report rates that election as a likely Republican win.

The Democratic Women’s Caucus called on the House Committee on Ethics to open an investigation into Miller on Thursday, and some Democrats in Congress have said that he should resign.

Among Republicans, Moreno was reportedly joined by Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) in calling for Miller to step down.

Trump told reporters on Monday that Miller was a “good person” but declined to weigh in on whether he should resign from Congress.

“I’m going to let the families figure that out,” Trump said. “It’s a very sad thing, especially when you know somebody so well to be going through that, but it’s accusations, and I’m going to let them figure that out.”

If Miller were to drop out of the race by close of business on Tuesday, he could be replaced in a special primary.

After Tuesday, a second deadline would allow him to be replaced on the November ballot if he were to withdraw by Aug. 10.

Miller has insisted that he intends to stay in the race.

“I’m winning in November,” he said on Sunday.

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