Rep. Max Miller, R-Ohio, attends the Ways and Means Committee hearing on the priorities of the Treasury Department in Longworth building on Thursday, June 4, 2026. Mother Jones illustration; Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call/Zuma
Several Democratic members of Congress are requesting the House Ethics Committee investigate their colleague, Congressman Max Miller (R-OH), over allegations that he assaulted his ex-wife, Emily Moreno, and possibly injured their child.
“The recent reports of domestic violence and child abuse against Representative Max Miller are deeply disturbing, and Congress can’t ignore them. Allegations of violence against women and children have to be met with the utmost seriousness. We therefore call on the House Committee on Ethics to swiftly and thoroughly investigate these allegations,” said a statement by the 96-member Democratic Women’s Caucus chairwoman Leger Fernandez (D-NM), and vice chairs Hillary Scholten (D-MI) and Emilia Sykes (D-OH).
Their calls for a formal probe into the embattled Congressman follow the publication of a July 18 profile in Mother Jones that drew from thousands of pages of public records alleging numerous episodes of misconduct. As I wrote in the story:
The summary of the Zoom meeting and investigative report are among more than 2,000 pages of court filings and police reports pertaining to Miller that Mother Jones obtained through public records requests. The trove of documents contains allegations of drug use by Miller, misogyny and verbal abuse, and violent behavior against multiple women. The filings also include evidence that Miller implicitly threatened his ex-father-in-law, Sen. Bernie Moreno.
Some of the allegations were documented in a police report regarding an investigation into potential child abuse after Miller’s daughter wound up with a broken collarbone.
Neither the child’s father, Rep. Max Miller (R-Ohio), nor mother, conservative policy adviser Emily Moreno, admitted to knowing what caused their daughter’s injury or that it occurred while their daughter was under their care. Miller’s primary theory was that the bruising resembled marks from a seat belt. Moreno, who discovered the bruises and took the child to an emergency room, suggested the cause may have been something more sinister. Records of the investigation into potential child abuse show that Moreno told detectives that Miller had previously thrown hot water at her, shoved her, and held a gun to her head; therefore, she couldn’t rule out that Miller caused their daughter’s fracture. Moreover, a child protection specialist reviewing the incident had characterized the bruising near the fracture as resembling a “handprint.”
The police investigation into possible child abuse was ultimately “unsubstantiated.” That means there was not enough evidence to support a finding of neglect or abuse.
Though Miller repeatedly declined to answer questions from Mother Jones, he has elsewhere denied ever being violent towards women.
“Every woman and child deserves to live free from fear of violence, especially within the sanctity of their own home, and we will not stop fighting until that’s the reality,” wrote the leaders of the Democratic Women’s Caucus in a statement first provided to Mother Jones.
The caucus was joined in calling for the investigation by several lawmakers. Rep. Sam Liccardo, a California Democrat, wrote on X Wednesday, “Allegations that Max Miller abused his wife and child demand an immediate House Ethics Committee investigation. Congress must never serve as a safe harbor for abusers.”
He was joined by Rep. Gwen Moore, a Wisconsin Democrat who has previously spoken about surviving domestic violence. “The domestic abuse allegations against my colleague, Rep. Max Miller, are disturbing,” Moore told Mother Jones, adding: “I am especially concerned about the claims of abuse against his 2-year-old daughter whose collarbone was broken. Every child deserves to feel safe in their home, and that is the responsibility of all investigative authorities involved.”
No Republican members of Congress have yet called for an investigation into Miller—including Miller’s former father-in-law, Sen. Bernie Moreno.
