Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-OH) opened up on Tuesday about the family and legal dispute involving his daughter and her ex-husband, Republican Rep. Max Miller (OH-7).
Miller is alleged to have abused Moreno’s daughter while they were married and the dispute has gone on for about two years. Reporters caught up with Moreno at the Capitol building to ask about the matter.
One of the journalists asked whether Miller apologized to him. “No, he did not,” Moreno replied.
When asked whether he believed Miller should resign, Moreno said, “absolutely and affirmatively, he shouldn't serve in Congress. He needs serious help. That's exactly what my statement says. My statement speaks for itself.”
The reporter brought up Miller’s response to Moreno’s statement, saying it “was to protect from your own circus.”
Moreno said they were the “ramblings of a madman.”
When asked what he thought about Miller telling President Donald Trump he could still win his election, the senator responded, “Look, I don't care about the politics of this. I hope that you guys understand, and maybe I hope you never have to understand what my daughter's been through, what my daughter is going through, what my wife is going through … my two boys and my other daughter are going through.”
This is truly the seventh level of hell. This has been a horrific experience for my entire family. My daughter specifically, did not want this to be out in the public. That's why she asked me to say ‘lower the temperature.’ You gotta remember, when you don't have kids and you get divorced, you can just say farewell. You never have to see each other again. But when you have a child, you have to co-parent with that individual for the rest of your life. That means scheduling pickups, scheduling drop-offs. This is not something that you can just say, I'll never have to deal with this guy again. My daughter lives in constant fear of this man, not like something that's existential, but deeply in her heart, she fears what this guy is capable of.
Sen. Moreno continued:
You can't even— you can't fathom what that makes me feel like. When the dad's number one job is to protect your kids and to have this whole thing out in the public like this is not what I wanted to do. It's not what my daughter wanted to do. But on Sunday, when he went out and did what he did, including releasing photos of my granddaughter completely naked, that now you have hundreds of thousands of psychotic human beings that have that. And to say ‘oops’ is grotesque. My personal opinion is that this is a felony and that every single human being that touched that photo and transmitted it electronically should go to jail because it is illegal to do that. This has been brutal beyond comprehension, and if there's any minimum standard for being an elected official As I said, he fails to meet that minimum basic standard. I don't care about the politics at all. Don't think about it. Doesn't enter my consciousness.
When asked why he didn’t say anything earlier, Moreno told the reporter that his daughter wanted him to stay silent. “When your daughter tells you you have to de-escalate this thing because you want to keep it private, you— this has been going on for two years. Why did you just cover it today instead of covering it a year ago?”
He further explained that “This was about de-escalation.”
🚨🎥 BREAKING: Sen. Bernie Moreno speaks out on camera about ex-son-in-law Rep. Max Miller, calling his family's ordeal "truly the seventh level of hell" pic.twitter.com/b1OtdoJOqs
— TMZ (@TMZ) August 4, 2026
Miller married Emily Moreno in August 2022 at the Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey. The couple had a daughter in November 2023. Miller filed for divorce in August 2024, and the divorce was finalized in June 2025 with an agreement for joint custody of their child and $2,500 monthly child support from Miller, according to AP News.
Emily Moreno alleged that during their marriage and after their divorce, Miller engaged in abusive behavior, including throwing hot water at her from a pan, holding a gun to her head while she changed their infant’s diaper, and throwing her against a wall during a custody exchange.
She also raised concerns about their daughter’s broken collarbone and bruising while in Miller’s care. In a police interview obtained by CNN, Moreno said, “I was just, like, scared of him a lot, and that’s why I left the house and why I moved out.”
Miller has denied all allegations of abuse against Emily and their daughter and noted that no criminal charges have been filed and the courts continued to allow joint custody. He claimed his former wife has mental health problems and filed a defamation lawsuit against her in May.
Miller on Sunday held a livestream in which he said, “I’m not getting out of this race, and I’m winning in November.” He also said, “No court, no agency has ever substantiated any allegation of abuse against me. No criminal charge has ever been filed against me.”
Editor's Note: Do you enjoy Townhall's conservative reporting that takes on the radical left and woke media? Support our work so that we can continue to bring you the truth.
Join Townhall VIP and use promo code FIGHT to receive 60% off your membership.
Join the Conversation
VIP members get the ability to comment on articles.