Bernie Moreno says Max Miller should not serve in Congress amid abuse allegations

United States Senator Bernie Moreno has said that his former son-in-law, House of Representatives member Max Miller, should not serve in Congress amid domestic abuse allegations involving Moreno’s daughter Emily Moreno.

The Republican lawmaker said in a social media post on Sunday that Miller is not fit for his position and should “seek professional help”. The Ohio senator had largely declined to weigh in on allegations against Miller, who faces growing pressure to resign due to the accusations.

“If there are any basic standards of character required to hold elected office, Max Miller fails them. He should not serve in the House of Representatives,” Bernie Moreno said. “I believe Max Miller needs to seek professional help to end the clear pattern of abuse he has left in his wake. I believe he should not be free to continue endangering others until he does.”

Emily Moreno has said that Miller hit, threatened, and threw scalding water on her while they were married. The two finalised their divorce last year but have been in a protracted custody dispute. A recent article in the magazine Mother Jones revealed a new point of contention in their legal battle: a broken collarbone on their two-year-old daughter that led Emily Moreno to contact authorities. Miller and Emily Moreno presented different theories about how the injury occurred, according to court filings and police reports reviewed by the magazine.

Last spring, a spokesperson for Miller provided documentation to The Associated Press that showed several allegations that he had abused his daughter had been investigated by the Cuyahoga County Division of Children and Family Services and were deemed unsubstantiated. He has sued Emily Moreno for defamation.

Despite growing scrutiny about his behaviour and fitness for office, Miller has insisted that he will not step down ahead of a deadline on Wednesday to replace him ahead of the upcoming midterm elections.

“I’m not dropping out of this race, and I’ll win in November,” Miller said in a video shared through social media on Sunday, during which he also denied his ex-wife’s allegations of abuse.

A spokesperson for Emily Moreno, Stefan Mychajliw, called the video “shameful” in a statement on Sunday.

“It is shameful that Max Miller decided to go on a bizarre and lie-filled rant about his ex-wife to desperately try to save his political career,” Mychajliw said. “There is a documented trove of evidence that Miller has a history of violent and dangerous behavior and no amount of victim shaming will change that.”

Democratic lawmakers have also called for Miller to resign and for an ethics investigation into his alleged actions. Democrats may seek to capitalise on what they see as a more vulnerable congressional seat as he insists on staying in the race.