Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, is declining to weigh in on whether Rep. Max Miller, R-Ohio, should remain on the ballot for reelection as Miller continues to face allegations of domestic violence made by Moreno’s daughter during their ongoing divorce proceedings.
According to a Friday report from NOTUS reporter Adora Brown, Moreno responded, “I don’t know,” when asked whether Miller is fit to continue his reelection campaign. The question comes as Miller faces a competitive race and Ohio remains a closely watched political battleground, with Democrats targeting both the governor’s office and a U.S. Senate seat in the state.
Moreno’s office also made clear that the senator does not intend to publicly discuss litigation involving members of his family.
“While we won’t dignify this baseless attacks by Democrats and their media allies, Senator Moreno will not speak on active litigation involving his family,” Moreno spokesperson Reagan McCarthy said in a statement to NOTUS.
The dispute stems from allegations made by Emily Moreno, Miller’s estranged wife and the senator’s daughter, during the couple’s divorce proceedings earlier this year. Her claims have drawn widespread attention because of the seriousness of the accusations and the high-profile political figures involved.
According to a recent report by The New York Times, Emily Moreno accused Miller of multiple acts of abuse. The allegations include claims that he “scalded her chest and stomach by throwing hot water from a skillet at her body; held a gun to her head; pushed her against a wall and hit her head; and fractured their daughter’s collarbone and bruised her shoulder.”
Miller has forcefully denied all of the allegations.
The Ohio congressman has also taken legal action against his former wife, filing a defamation lawsuit in response to her claims.
The public dispute has not remained confined to court filings. Earlier this year, Miller took to social media to criticize his father-in-law directly, accusing the Ohio senator of supporting what he described as a campaign against him.
“It is unfortunate that @berniemoreno continues to fund and enable his daughter’s malicious campaign to ruin my life despite his knowledge of her mental health issues,” Miller wrote in a post published in May.
He continued, “Bernie, this must be distracting from your job. These antics harm your own grandchild. Anytime you want to put a stop to this, you can.”
The exchange brought an already contentious family dispute further into the public spotlight, adding another layer of political scrutiny as Miller seeks another term in Congress.
The allegations against the congressman are not limited to his ongoing divorce proceedings. Former White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham, who dated Miller while they both worked for President Donald Trump in 2019 and 2020, has also accused him of domestic abuse.
Those allegations have likewise resulted in multiple lawsuits between Grisham and Miller.
With the legal disputes continuing, Moreno has so far stopped short of offering any judgment on Miller’s political future, declining to say whether the congressman should remain on the ballot while emphasizing that he will not comment publicly on litigation involving his own family.
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