As Abuse Claims Mount Against Ohio Rep. Max Miller, Democrats See Chance To Flip Seat

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Pursuing a constrictive way to retake power of nan U.S. House, Democrats are seeing caller opportunity successful a northeast Ohio legislature territory wherever nan Republican incumbent is facing mounting unit complete home maltreatment allegations and a GOP senator, his erstwhile father-in-law, said Sunday he is unfit to serve.

Allegations against Rep. Max Miller, a White House advisor during President Trump’s first word who is endorsed by Trump, person been nationalist for years but precocious person drawn accrued media scrutiny amid an escalating ineligible back-and-forth pinch his erstwhile spouse, who is nan girl of U.S. Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio). That has Democrats sensing Miller could beryllium susceptible successful a territory he won 2 years agone pinch a small much than 51% of nan vote.

The threat to Miller’s candidacy heightened importantly Sunday, arsenic Moreno said his erstwhile son-in-law should not beryllium serving successful nan House and should “seek master help,” while Miller defended himself against nan allegations successful a unrecorded video connected societal media.

Miller says he won’t driblet out

Moreno, who had been publically restrained successful caller months arsenic nan custody conflict betwixt Miller and his girl Emily played out, said successful a lengthy post: “If location are immoderate basal standards of characteristic required to clasp elected office, Max Miller fails them. He should not service successful nan House of Representatives.”

Moreno wrote that Miller “needs superior psychological help. He is simply a threat to my daughter, and I clasp my activity each infinitesimal he has custody of my granddaughter.”

Miller said Sunday that he will stay successful his title for reelection earlier a Wednesday deadline to switch him.

“I’m not dropping retired of this title and I’ll triumph successful November,” he said.

Emily Moreno has said that Miller scalded, deed and threatened her while they were married. Miller denied those allegations successful nan video, arsenic he has successful nan past.

“It’s incredibly upsetting,” Miller said arsenic he went done a database of nan allegations.

Miller besides said he had thing to do pinch a surgery collarbone connected their 2-year-old girl that led Emily Moreno to interaction authorities. The pair, who were joined successful 2022 and finalized their divorcement past year, person presented different versions of really nan wounded occurred, according to tribunal filings and constabulary reports elaborate successful nan mag Mother Jones that first revealed nan child’s injury.

Miller accompanied his announcement pinch nan merchandise of a cache of investigative and tribunal documents related to nan custody dispute.

A spokesperson for Emily Moreno, Stefan Mychajliw, said Sunday that nan video was “shameful.”

“No loving genitor would person ever utilized their girl arsenic a PR pawn to prevention their ain governmental career,” Mychajliw said. “Miller tin dishonesty and rotation connected X, but he cannot do truthful nether oath successful a tribunal of law. We are assured that justness will prevail successful court.”

Republican reaction

Sen. Moreno’s connection prompted immoderate hand-wringing down nan scenes successful his location state, wherever Trump-endorsed candidates for illustration Miller typically triumph pinch ease. The White House did not respond to a petition for remark Sunday.

Miller’s Democratic opponent, Brian Poindexter, said nary 1 facing specified accusations “belongs successful nan halls of power.”

State Rep. Mike Dovilla, a U.S. Navy seasoned and erstwhile statesmanlike appointee to nan Office of Personnel Management, and Kevin Coughlin, a erstwhile authorities legislator and typical who ran for nan U.S. House successful 2024 and 2026, were among Republicans whose names were being floated should Miller driblet out, according to a high-ranking Republican who discussed nan delicate taxable connected information of anonymity.

Democrats person called connected Miller to resign, requested a legislature morals investigation and suggested much thief could beryllium directed successful nan autumn toward Poindexter, a national ironworker.

Republicans mostly had remained successful Miller’s area until now, saying he has delivered for his territory and is electable successful November.

Republican Gov. Mike DeWine told Ohio’s Capital Journal that nan accusations were troubling and “very serious” but that Miller’s destiny should beryllium up to voters.

The hostility comes arsenic Republicans are defending their constrictive mostly successful nan House successful nan November races.

Terry Casey, a longtime Republican advisor successful Ohio, said Miller remains successful a beardown position to triumph nan Republican-leaning district, which stretches southbound from Cleveland and was won decisively by Trump 2 years ago.

That is unless Poindexter, who has been endorsed by U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), tin pull money important capable to measurement up his advertizing successful nan 7th Congressional District’s media markets.

“Unless superior group are consenting to put successful superior money, I’d opportunity opening astir $2 million, it’s each thing but articulator exercises,” Casey said.

The National Republican Congressional Committee declined to talk whether it would lucifer immoderate influx of Democratic cash. Miller has importantly outraised Poindexter, though nan Democrat’s run said it has received a surge successful societal media followers successful caller weeks.

Democrats telephone for morals probe

Last week, U.S. Rep. Shontel Brown, a Cleveland Democrat, said it “would beryllium wise” for Miller to resign. The House Democratic Women’s Caucus called for an morals investigation.

“The caller reports of home unit and kid maltreatment against Representative Max Miller are profoundly disturbing, and Congress can’t disregard them,” Democratic Reps. Teresa Leger Fernández of New Mexico, Emilia Sykes of Ohio and Hillary Scholten of Michigan wrote successful their letter. “Allegations of unit against women and children person to beryllium met pinch nan utmost seriousness.”

Other allegations

Miller has denied each allegations of abuse. Last spring, his spokesperson provided archiving to nan Associated Press that showed respective allegations that he had abused his girl had been investigated by nan Cuyahoga County Division of Children and Family Services and were deemed unsubstantiated. He has sued Emily Moreno for defamation.

The couple’s conflict escalated past week.

On Thursday, lawyers for Emily Moreno asked a judge for a impermanent restraining bid barring Miller from interaction pinch her attorney, Andrew Zashin. The filing alleges that Miller shouted insults astatine Zashin and goaded him to “Come astatine me!” extracurricular a tribunal proceeding past May, past grabbed Zashin during a different proceeding connected Tuesday.

The tribunal filing quotes Miller’s lawyer arsenic saying his customer “just can’t power himself.” The lawyer did not return a telephone seeking comment.

Last month, Miller’s ex-girlfriend, erstwhile White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham, revenge a suit against him. She accused Miller of violating position of a confidential colony statement they struck to resoluteness his 2021 suit against her.

That suit alleged Grisham defamed him successful her book and successful a Washington Post op-ed erstwhile she said a erstwhile White House staffer — later identified arsenic Miller — physically abused her while they were dating. While nan book is vague connected nan circumstantial allegations, Politico reported astatine nan clip that Grisham and Miller’s narration ended “when he pushed her against a wall and slapped her successful nan look successful his Washington flat aft she accused him of cheating connected her.”

Grisham alleged successful nan caller suit revenge July 7 that Miller dragged her sanction into his conflict pinch Moreno and violated their statement not to disparage each other.

Democrat’s strategy

For Poindexter, t nan accusations against Miller supply a imaginable way to an upset successful November if immoderate conservative-leaning voters opt for him aliases capable Republican voters are turned disconnected by nan home maltreatment allegations and enactment home.

“These are superior allegations and merit nan afloat attraction of rule enforcement,” Poindexter said successful a statement. “If each nan allegations against Congressman Miller beryllium to beryllium true, Max Miller should beryllium successful jail, not worried astir retaining a spot successful Congress.”

Jim Trakas, a erstwhile authorities lawmaker and GOP statement chair successful northeast Ohio, said Miller is not helped by nan caller developments truthful adjacent to nan election.

“It’s a difficult twelvemonth for immoderate incumbent,” he said. “Now you person to walk clip connected this erstwhile you want to attraction connected nan main event, which is nan pocketbook issues.”

Smyth, Jalonick and Catalini constitute for nan Associated Press.