STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
The House Ethics Committee is investigating Ohio Republican lawmaker Max Miller. Miller is accused of abusing his ex-wife, Emily Moreno, and his daughter, who's a toddler. He denies these allegations. The accusations amount to a family crisis on Capitol Hill because Miller's former father-in-law is Republican Senator Bernie Moreno. He spoke with reporters yesterday about his daughter.
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BERNIE MORENO: She fears what this guy is capable of. You can't fathom what that makes me feel like, when the dad's No. 1 job is to protect your kids.
INSKEEP: Miller says he has no plans to resign or to stop running for reelection. NPR political reporter Elena Moore has been following all this. Elena, good morning.
ELENA MOORE, BYLINE: Good morning.
INSKEEP: Give me some more details. What are the allegations, exactly?
MOORE: Well, a lot of this stems from an ongoing legal battle happening between Miller and his ex-wife over custody of their young daughter. Moreno filed for divorce in 2024 and, according to court records, accuses Miller of abuse, alleging he once threw hot water on her, pushed her against a wall and held a gun to her head. She's also alleging that Miller broke their daughter's collarbone. Over the weekend, Miller responded, saying in a lengthy video on social media that he denied ever abusing his daughter or ex-wife.
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MAX MILLER: My former wife is engaging in a pattern of reporting incredible, serious and destructive allegations with absolutely no evidence.
INSKEEP: Tricky situation for Republicans to say the least, with a congressman on one side and a senator on the other. What have Republican leaders said?
MOORE: I mean, not much. Senator Moreno is one of the only Republicans in Congress publicly calling on Miller to resign. Moreno had been pretty quiet for months on this but spoke up after Miller's - you know, posted that video on social media. Moreno says Miller is a danger to his daughter and granddaughter and that he lacks, quote, "basic standards of character required to hold elected office." Miller on Tuesday called for a House ethics investigation to clear his name, and soon after that, Steve, the panel said they were looking into domestic violence and drug use allegations.
INSKEEP: How interesting that Miller himself asked for the investigation.
MOORE: Yeah.
INSKEEP: What might the investigation look like?
MOORE: Depending on what they find, committee members can do a few things. In some cases, they can refer their investigation to the Department of Justice or state law enforcement. But we've also seen the panel recommend a member be expelled or censured. Just on Monday, we saw the House Ethics Committee recommend Republican Congressman Chuck Edwards of North Carolina be censured over allegations that he harassed staffers, which he denies. Though, just this morning, Edwards has also said he'll no longer run for reelection. But critics of this system argue it does have real limits. Progressive attorney Cheyenne Hunt leads the organization Reckoning Action, which works to combat misogyny in public life.
CHEYENNE HUNT: There's really no meaningful transparency into what goes on in how these complaints are evaluated. It's really where, you know, complaints go to die in most cases. They spend months, sometimes years behind closed doors.
MOORE: She told me that the overall system is designed with a fundamental flaw, which is asking lawmakers to police themselves and their colleagues.
INSKEEP: Because it's an election year, I have to ask about the political implications of all this.
MOORE: Yeah. Well, you know, as for Edwards in North Carolina, Republicans will now need to find a new candidate, and it does create some political trickiness for GOP leaders, given he represents a district that is considered only lean Republican by the Cook Political Report. As for Miller, you know, he represents a seat in northeast Ohio. It's traditionally been a pretty safe Republican seat. But in a year where Republicans are fighting to keep hold of their slim majority, Miller remaining in the race could boost momentum for Democrats to try and flip the seat. Also, though Miller says he's staying in the race, he doesn't have much time to potentially change his mind, Steve. Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose says his office has to finalize candidates for the general election ballot in Ohio by Monday, August 10.
INSKEEP: Coming right up. NPR political reporter Elena Moore. Thanks.
MOORE: Thanks, Steve. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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