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“The left-wing media already has a narrative,” Ohio Rep. Max Miller declared Sunday morning in a livestream on X.
Miller was forcefully (if awkwardly) denying allegations he abused his daughter and his ex-wife, Emily Moreno, herself the daughter of Ohio Sen. Bernie Moreno. It’s no accident that Miller chose to make his statement about these allegations on Elon Musk’s right-wing website where he would not have to confront questions from reporters.
Miller blamed the media for putting out allegations “nonstop” and suggested the left is out to get him. But a string of accusations have in fact come from his former partners, and his refusal to drop out of his competitive primary before the August 5 deadline this week ultimately damages his party.
It also harms the Moreno family. Bernie Moreno has spent recent months refusing to speak out against Miller. For instance, when recently asked by a reporter whether Miller should be removed from the ballot, Moreno managed only a hesitant, “I don’t know.”
A spokesperson for Moreno had a little more anger — for Democrats.
“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,” she said.
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But after Miller’s grotesque escalation on X, Bernie Moreno finally had enough.
On social media he said he’d been trying to “keep this matter private” but that Miller’s “increasingly erratic and dangerous behavior” forced him to speak.
“Max Miller needs serious psychological help,” Moreno added, continuing that “he is a danger to my daughter, and I hold my breath every minute he has custody of my granddaughter.”
Moreno noted that Miller fails the standard of character required for public service, and concluded that “he should not serve in the House of Representatives.”
And Miller showed just how ugly his character is by replying to Moreno with cruel gaslighting. "If my daughter said the same thing to me, I personally wouldn't wait two years before holding him accountable,” he sneered on social media. “You know this isn't true and the only reason you are speaking out now is to hide from your own media circus. This is all political."
In other words, Moreno was silent in part because he feared what Moreno would do to his daughter and granddaughter, and Moreno is now using that silence as evidence that the threat did not exist. Even by the standards of the GOP, this is a chilling public example of harassment and bullying.
There are only days left before the August 5 deadline for removing a candidate from the ballot in Ohio. Its possible other Republicans will join Moreno in calling for Miller to resign.
So far, however, Miller has been successful in leveraging the right’s hatred of mainstream media to prevent his own party from organizing against him. It’s an ugly illustration of how the right-wing bubble both protects and suffocates its own.
Miller’s deplorable past
The 37-year-old Miller has risen in Republican politics thanks to his loyalty to Donald Trump.
After working on the 2016 presidential campaign, Miller became an aide first in the Treasury Department and then in the White House. He enthusiastically promoted Trump’s 2020 election lies. Trump rewarded him by supporting his primary bid in 2022 against Rep. Anthony Gonzalez, who voted for Trump’s 2020 impeachment, and Gonzalez eventually dropped out. Trump