Rep. Max Miller, R-Ohio, is accused of domestic and child abuse by his ex-wife, Emily Moreno, daughter of Ohio Republican Sen. Bernie Moreno. A former girlfriend, ex-White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham, has accused him of abuse, too.
Republicans were quick to hammer Democrats for standing by former Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner as allegations piled up, before Democrats ultimately pushed him out of the race. They’ve been far more reluctant to call on Miller to resign.
If Republicans want to be consistent, they need to hold their own just as accountable as the other side.
What are the allegations against Max Miller?
Court filings allege that Miller put a gun to Emily Moreno’s head, scalded her with hot water and fractured their daughter’s collarbone, among other instances of abuse.
The allegations surfaced during a lengthy custody battle after the couple divorced in 2025.
Miller has denied the accusations. He said his former wife faces “significant mental health challenges,” and pointed to that – along with the fact that he still shares joint custody of his daughter – as evidence against her claims.
He’s even invited a House ethics probe into his conduct, which is now underway.
“I have absolutely nothing to hide,” Miller wrote on X.
Grisham, who dated him during Trump’s first term when both worked in the White House, wrote in her memoir about dating a White House official who was physically abusive. She didn’t name Miller at the time, but has since confirmed she was referring to him.
Sen. Moreno stayed quiet through most of the process, apparently at his daughter’s request, to let the legal battle play out. On Aug. 2, he finally released a statement.
“If there are any basic standards of character required to hold elected office, Max Miller fails them,” Moreno said on X. “He should not serve in the House of Representatives.”
Most Republicans still haven’t called on Miller to resign. House Speaker Mike Johnson has stressed that the allegations remain just that.
“The key word there is allegation,” Johnson said at a news conference. “We have a process here. The House Ethics Committee works on those things.”
Moreno’s statement changed that calculus for some Republicans. Sen. Roger Marshall of Kansas and Sen. Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia have since joined the calls for Miller’s resignation.
Republicans need to be consistent
Miller should resign. It would be better for his party, and better for the institution, if he did.
It’s better for the Republican Party to expel members credibly accused of abuse. Just a couple of months before these allegations broke, Republicans hammered progressive Democrats for propping up failed Maine Senate nominee Platner, who faced a string of sexual assault and abuse allegations of his own.
Republicans may be nervous about speaking out negatively against Miller, who is in the midst of a tight reelection race. However, as the Platner situation proved, it is better to get out ahead of these rather than allow scandals to become much worse.
“Democrats rolled in the mud with Platner, and now they are completely stained by their association with this sick monster,” Republican National Committee Chair Joe Gruters said at the time.
The same thing will happen to the GOP if it doesn’t cleanse itself of the Miller controversy. The only way that happens is if he’s expelled from Congress or his name is cleared.
The situations differ in some ways, and credibility matters here: There’s plenty of incentive to lie on either side of a custody battle. I understand why Republicans’ instinct is to let the facts develop before publicly repudiating Miller.
But a second woman alleging abuse strengthens the case considerably. And with a sitting senator from his own party leading the charge against Miller, Republicans can’t afford to treat these allegations lightly.
It’s fine if House Republicans want to let the Ethics Committee investigate before calling for Miller’s head. But they need to know now: If that investigation confirms the allegations, they must be just as forceful in demanding his resignation as they were in demanding for Platner to drop out.
Anything less, and it’ll prove that the party’s sudden concern for character was never real.
Dace Potas is a Detroit-based opinion columnist for USA TODAY and a graduate of DePaul University with a degree in political science.
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Max Miller should resign over domestic abuse allegations | Opinion
Reporting by Dace Potas / The Detroit News
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By Dace Potas | USA TODAY Network
