Donald Trump and Melania Trump with Senate Majority Leader John Thune on January 8, 2025 (Wikimedia Commons)
As Rep. Max Miller (R-OH) grapples with the fallout of accusations that he brutally beat two former romantic partners and his own 2-year-old child, his fellow Republican lawmakers are publicly waffling on their position about Miller’s political future even as some privately urge him to resign.
“Trump and some White House aides are said to privately want Miller out of the race, according to a person familiar with the situation,” wrote Semafor's Shelby Talcott and Burgess Everett on Monday. “Miller ‘clearly only cares about himself,’ a second person close to the White House said. ‘He’s down by 6 in the latest poll. If he cared about the president and the party, he’d drop out.’”
They added, “Most GOP senators, who are still in town for the summer, declined comment. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said ‘I don’t have any observations.’”
They similarly quoted Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL), who said “I haven’t seen it. I don’t deal with them people over there [in the House]; there are too many of them.” Similarly Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA) said that “it’s not good … It’s none of my business, but it doesn’t help. It just gives people one more reason to be disgusted with Congress.”
Semafor reported that, because of Miller’s presence on the Republican ticket, the GOP is now more vulnerable in Ohio.
“The scandal could drag down Republicans in his state, including the reelection campaign of Sen. Jon Husted, R-Ohio, who declined to comment about Miller on Monday,” Semafor reported. “Husted and GOP gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy are both in difficult races in red-leaning Ohio, where they’re fighting to hold off former Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, and Democratic gubernatorial nominee Amy Acton, respectively.”
They later added, “At this point, there’s just one thing that could change Miller’s mind about reelection: a direct demand from Trump. Barring that, which seems unlikely as of now, and this is a real debacle for Republicans — who can’t afford one in such a tight election season.”
Miller is accused of abusing his ex-wife Emily Moreno, the daughter of Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-OH), by beating her in front of their 2-year-old daughter in February, bruising her arm, elbow and torso in the process; throwing a pot of boiling water on Moreno, which left visible injuries on her chest; holding a gun to Moreno’s head; and breaking his daughter’s collar bone. Former Trump press secretary Stephanie Grisham also accused Miller of being abusive during their relationship.
Despite these accusations, Trump expressed sympathy for Miller.
“It's a very sad thing; I know Max,” Trump told reporters during an Oval Office press conference on Monday. “He's a good person. I mean, I always thought he was a very good person. And I'm going to let the families figure that out. You know, those families, I know they're working on it. It's a very sad thing, but it's accusations, and I'm going to let them figure that out.”
By contrast, Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-OH) released a statement on X on Sunday saying that his son-in-law should resign, saying that he “holds his breath” every time his grandchild is left alone with Miller. By Monday, Moreno said he was done answering questions.
“I hope you never have to go through this situation, because you wouldn’t ask that kind of f----- question,” Moreno told one reporter as to why he took so long to issue a statement. He added that reporters would need to ask Miller why he has not resigned yet, adding that the situation is "pretty grotesque" and a "personal family situation."
In his original statement, Sen. Moreno said that “our priority has always been protecting our daughter and our granddaughter. Out of concern for the safety of my family, I hoped to keep this matter private but Max Miller’s increasingly erratic and dangerous behavior has made that impossible.”
He added, “As he has admitted privately, Max Miller needs serious psychological help. He is a danger to my daughter, and I hold my breath every minute he has custody of my granddaughter.”
