Republican Ohio Sen. Jon Husted called on Republican Ohio Rep. Max Miller to resign from Congress in a Thursday statement.
Miller has been embroiled in controversy since his ex-wife, Emily Moreno, accused him of physically abusing herself and their two-year-old daughter. Husted said Miller dropping out and resigning would be “in the best interest of his daughter.”
“Anyone who commits domestic violence is not fit to serve in Congress. The House Ethics Committee should thoroughly investigate any credible allegations, and any member found to have committed domestic violence should resign from Congress immediately,” Husted said. “I know both Max Miller and Emily Moreno, as well as their families. I am deeply saddened that their personal lives have become such a public matter, especially as it relates to their daughter, Ruthie.”
“One thing they both seem to agree on is that Ruthie’s best interests should come first,” Husted continued. “Those interests will not be served by litigating these matters in public, but by addressing them privately. Given everything they are facing, I do not see how a campaign for Congress benefits any of them. I believe Max would be making the right decision to step aside as a candidate and resign from Congress to focus on what is in the best interest of his daughter.”
Republican Montana Sen. Tim Sheehy accused Miller of being a “degenerate sociopath.”
“What kind of person would treat their daughter this way? This guy is clearly a degenerate sociopath.
Max should step aside and seek help. Staying in this race makes it far more likely we lose this seat and hand Democrats a majority to impeach President Trump,” Sheehy said.
Miller’s office did not respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
Miller’s ex-father-in-law told CNN Thursday that he sent his daughter, granddaughter and wife out of state for their safety. Both Miller and his ex-wife filed restraining orders against each other.
Moreno accused Miller of refusing to give his daughter her stuffed blue bunny, which he said she could not sleep without. Miller posted screenshots to X, claiming that a man who was not on an approved list offered to pick up the bunny.
“@berniemoreno please stop the lies,” Miller said. “As everyone can see in the below screenshots, mine and your daughter’s parenting coordinator reached about the bunny asking if you can come pick it up from me after she forgot it at my house. I said sure. Then, a man who is not on our approved list reaches out to me offering to come to my house to get the bunny, to which I said it was inappropriate of him to insert himself in family business and that I was waiting for you, @berniemoreno, like we agreed upon.”
“My daughter got her bunny back in 14 hours, no thanks to you. Glad this made national news though,” Miller continued.
Screenshots showed a court-ordered parental coordinator, Deborah Kornicke, asking Miller if his ex-father-in-law could stop by and pick up the bunny, to which Miller replied, “Sure.” Before his messages with Kornicke, an individual named Jared asked if he could pick up the bunny, which Miller argued was “inappropriate.”
The congressman also posted screenshots of his emails with his ex-wife. He told Moreno to send someone he trusted to his house to pick up the bunny.
A lawyer for Moreno claimed the photo “could be considered Child Sexual Abuse Material.” The files did not censor their daughter’s name.
“I am solely responsible for what happened,” Minc said in a statement. “I 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.”
Moreno accused Miller of burning her with hot water from a pan of eggs in June 2024 and continuing to spray her with water from a sink hose while she lay in a fetal position. She alleged that he held a gun to her head in March 2025 and, in another instance, fractured their daughter’s collarbone.
Miller denied all of the allegations and accused Moreno of fabricating these stories. He maintained he would not end his reelection bid as his ex-father-in-law and others called on him to drop out.
During a Tuesday appearance on “The Lead with Jake Tapper,” Miller dodged questions on why three separate women accused him of abuse. Former White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham accused him of abusing her in a Washington Post op-ed from October 2021 and filed a restraining order against him Tuesday.
The House Ethics Committee opened an investigation into Miller after the congressman requested that one be opened, claiming he had “absolutely nothing to hide.”
President Donald Trump told Miller on the phone Monday that “things aren’t looking good,” indicating that his candidacy was in trouble, according to Axios.
(DCNF)