Topline
Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, told reporters Tuesday Rep. Max Miller, R-Ohio, refused to hand over his granddaughter’s beloved “little blue bunny” in a custody exchange on Sunday, elaborating on his daughter’s heated custody battle with Miller—who Moreno said doesn’t meet the “minimum basic standard” to serve in public office.
Rep. Max Miller (R-OH) leaves a House Republican Caucus meeting on Capitol Hill on November 19, 2024 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
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Key Facts
Moreno said the incident involving the stuffed animal happened when he picked his 2-year-old granddaughter up from Miller at a suburban Cleveland police station, “because that’s the place we have to go to meet, because I don’t know what this guy’s capable of,” adding that he participated in the custody exchange because he doesn’t want his daughter to interact with Miller.
Miller “would not hand over the little blue bunny, literally held it hostage for 48 hours, this girl is crying at night, because she can’t sleep without her little blue bunny, and his answer is, ‘I’m just not going to give it to you,’” Moreno said, telling reporters, “yesterday, he lets the little blue bunny go. This is the level of total and complete depravity.”
Moreno spoke out against Miller on Sunday for the first time since his daughter and Miller separated in 2024 after Miller published a video statement denying Emily Moreno’s abuse allegations against him, including that he may have broken their daughter’s collarbone, threw scalding water on his ex-wife and held a gun to her head.
Moreno on Tuesday repeated his calls for Miller to resign, telling reporters, “my daughter lives in constant fear of this man” and that he “fails to meet that minimum basic standard” to hold public office.
Forbes has reached out to Miller’s office and his attorney.
Tangent
Moreno’s comments were among several public developments in the dispute on Tuesday. Earlier in the day, Miller’s attorney took blame for an unclothed photo of Miller and Emily Moreno’s daughter published in a trove of documents Miller made public Sunday to support his claims of innocence. Bernie Moreno said Tuesday he believes the publication of the photo amounts to a “felony” and that “every single person that touched that photo and transmitted it electronically should go to jail.” The House Ethics Committee also announced it is investigating allegations of illegal drug use and domestic violence against Miller, hours after Miller requested the probe in an effort to clear his name.
Key Background
Multiple Republican senators have expressed concerns about Miller and said they support Moreno’s judgment after he called on Miller to resign Sunday. President Donald Trump, who hired Miller to work on his campaign and in his first administration, has publicly supported Miller, calling him a “good person” on Monday, though he stopped short of saying how Miller should proceed politically. Privately, Trump reportedly has told Miller he doesn’t believe he can win in November, Axios reported, citing unnamed sources familiar with a phone call between Trump and Miller on Monday. Miller is running for a third term to represent Ohio’s 7th Congressional District, once considered solidly Republican but has leaned more toward Democrats in the wake of Emily Moreno’s allegations, according to election forecasters. Miller and Emily Moreno married in 2022, divorced last year and the allegations of physical abuse were first made public in a series of news articles earlier this year. Miller has vehemently denied physically abusing his ex-wife and daughter and sued Emily Moreno for defamation.
further reading
Max Miller Abuse Allegations Being Investigated By House Ethics Committee—After He Requests Probe (Forbes)
More Republicans Call For Max Miller’s Resignation Amid Abuse Allegations: Here’s What To Know (Forbes)