Max Miller #

Introduction #

Max Miller, a Republican congressman from Ohio’s 7th district, has faced mounting calls to resign over domestic abuse allegations from his ex-wife and other women. In early August 2026, his former father-in-law, Republican Senator Bernie Moreno, declared him unfit for Congress, and the House ethics committee opened an investigation into whether Miller “may have engaged in domestic violence and abuse or illegal drug use.” Miller denied the allegations, accused the women of lying, and vowed to remain in his re-election race against Democrat Brian Poindexter.

Background Information #

Born November 13, 1988, in Shaker Heights, Ohio, Miller grew up in Northeast Ohio and graduated from Shaker Heights High School in 2007. Classmates described him as “a loose cannon” with a “huge temper,” and he reportedly pushed a female classmate down a staircase at a high school party. He attended the University of Arizona from 2007 to December 2009, then transferred to Cleveland State University, earning a bachelor’s degree in history in 2013.

Miller worked at a Lululemon store and joined the Marine Corps Reserve in 2013, serving as a corporal without deployments. After working on Marco Rubio’s 2016 campaign he joined Donald Trump’s campaign in February 2016, becoming a political appointee in the first Trump administration — a Treasury confidential assistant, White House lead advance representative, and Presidential Personnel Office associate director. He has praised Trump as “the greatest POTUS this country has ever had,” and in 2020 served as deputy campaign manager for presidential operations.

Miller launched his congressional campaign in February 2021 in the redrawn 7th district after incumbent Anthony Gonzalez, who had voted to impeach Trump, declined to seek re-election. Endorsed by Trump, Miller won the May 2022 Republican primary with 71.8% of the vote and defeated Democrat Matthew Diemer in the general election with 55.4%, taking office in January 2023; he was re-elected in 2024.

In August 2022, Miller married Emily Moreno, daughter of Senator Bernie Moreno, at Trump’s golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey. Their daughter was born in November 2023; Miller filed for divorce in August 2024, and the couple divorced in 2025.

The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation #

The allegations first surfaced in 2021, when Stephanie Grisham, a former White House press secretary who dated Miller in 2019 and 2020, released a memoir revealing she had been abused by a partner while at the White House; she later identified Miller as that partner. Miller sued her for defamation over the claims, voluntarily dismissing the case in August 2023.

In 2026 court filings, Emily Moreno alleged that Miller scalded her with hot water, held a gun to her head, pushed her against a wall, and hit her, and accused him of breaking their two-year-old daughter’s collarbone. Miller denied the accusations, alleging that Moreno was a liar, stalker, and dangerous individual; he said he had only thrown water playfully and had not pointed a gun at her, and claimed she suffered from bipolar disorder, which she denied. A February 2026 child-abuse investigation did not result in charges. Miller sued Moreno for defamation in May 2026, and she filed a restraining order against him in July.

On August 2, 2026, Bernie Moreno broke months of silence: “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.” He called the dispute “truly the seventh level of hell” and said he had picked up his granddaughter at a police station because he did not want his daughter interacting with Miller: “I don’t know what this guy’s capable of.”

On August 4, the day the House ethics committee announced its review, Miller said he would request an investigation into himself “to clear my name from these horrific attacks on myself and family,” adding, “I have absolutely nothing to hide.” In a CNN interview with Jake Tapper, asked whether Emily Moreno and two other women, including Grisham, had lied in accusing him of violent treatment, he said yes, invoking Trump’s resilience in 2016 and vowing not to be “pushed out of the seat I have worked so hard to represent.”

Public Reaction and Consequences #

The resignation calls came largely from within Miller’s own party. Kansas Senator Roger Marshall said Miller should resign and that he trusted Moreno, while Shelley Moore Capito, Lisa Murkowski, Rick Scott, Jim Justice, and Cynthia Lummis backed Moreno or voiced concern. GOP senators Jon Husted, Katie Britt, and Tim Sheehy also called for his resignation.

Trump, who reportedly told Miller “things aren’t looking good” for his re-election campaign, avoided taking sides publicly: “I know Max, he’s a good person… I’m going to let the families figure that out.” Miller told the Wall Street Journal the president “was supportive of me over the phone,” while reiterating the race would be tough.

The New York Times and Politico described the allegations as damaging to Miller’s electoral chances, turning a previously safe seat into a competitive race. On August 7, Miller announced he would loan his campaign $1 million rather than withdraw, and he allowed a withdrawal deadline to pass the next day — closing the last practical opportunity for Ohio Republicans to replace him on the November ballot.

Current Status #

As of early August 2026, Miller remained in office and in the race, insisting he would not resign. The House ethics review was ongoing; the committee noted that its investigation “does not itself indicate that any violation has occurred.” Grisham filed for a temporary restraining order against Miller on August 4, 2026, citing breaches of their prior settlement, while Miller’s defamation suit against Emily Moreno and her restraining order against him remained pending.

Impact on Their Career/Life #

The allegations have upended what was once a safe Republican seat. A loyal Trump ally who built his career on the former president’s endorsement, Miller now faces a competitive race against Brian Poindexter, with his party divided over his fitness for office and Trump publicly neutral.

The controversy has also entangled Miller’s personal life in litigation — divorce, competing defamation and restraining-order filings, a renewed legal clash with Grisham, and an active ethics investigation. His earlier legal record, including a 2007 no-contest plea tied to assault and disorderly conduct charges and a 2011 impaired-driving charge — episodes he has called “youthful mistakes” — has resurfaced. For a lawmaker who pressed for the expulsion of George Santos, calling him a “crook,” Miller now faces the accountability politics he once practiced.