The House Ethics Committee refused to comment on whether it would investigate domestic abuse allegations against Rep. Max Miller of Ohio, even as the panel has opened probes into other Republican members facing misconduct claims.
When a Daily Caller News Foundation reporter asked the committee directly whether it planned to look into the allegations against Miller, the committee offered two words: "No comment." Miller's congressional office did not respond to a request for comment either. The silence came just one day after Miller's ex-wife, Emily Moreno, filed a restraining order against the congressman, alleging he physically grabbed one of her attorneys, Andrew Zashin, during a recent court hearing.
The non-response raises a straightforward question: if the Ethics Committee has already opened investigations into Rep. Cory Mills of Florida over dating violence, sexual misconduct, and campaign finance allegations, and into Rep. Chuck Edwards of North Carolina over sexual harassment claims, what standard is it applying to Miller, and why won't it say so?
Emily Moreno, who is the daughter of Republican Ohio Sen. Bernie Moreno, has accused Miller of a pattern of physical abuse directed at both her and their two-year-old daughter. The allegations stretch back to at least June 2024, when Moreno claimed Miller threw hot water on her from a pan of eggs and then continued spraying her with hot water from the kitchen sink hose. She said she fell into a fetal position on the floor.
In March 2025, Moreno accused Miller of holding a gun to her head and abusing her in front of their daughter. CBS News reported that Moreno also alleged Miller caused their two-year-old daughter to suffer a fractured collarbone with "a bruise that accompanies the injury that appears to be in a handprint and appears to have been inflicted." Moreno further alleged that when she stayed with Miller, their daughter said, "Daddy kill you."
Miller has repeatedly denied the allegations. He accused his ex-wife of suffering from bipolar disorder and called the accusations part of a "malicious campaign to ruin [his] life," a campaign he said Sen. Bernie Moreno enabled. Miller has never been charged with a crime in connection with the allegations, and the Department of Children and Family Services did not find evidence of abuse against his daughter, per ABC News.
His campaign spokeswoman, Abigail Angelos, told CBS News:
"The facts speak for themselves: the court has continued to permit him joint custody of his child. If there were credible evidence supporting these outrageous accusations, that simply would not be the case. Congressman Miller will continue to vigorously defend his reputation against false and reckless allegations designed to inflame public opinion rather than reflect reality. This narrative has gone on long enough."
The legal back-and-forth between Miller and Moreno has been intense. Miller filed a domestic violence case against Moreno in February but moved to drop it in May. He then sued Moreno for defamation, citing "considerable reputational and financial harm." Moreno, for her part, filed the restraining order on July 30, adding the allegation that Miller grabbed her attorney during a court proceeding.
The New York Post reported that Moreno documented the alleged abuse with selfies showing bruises on her arms and torso and burns on her chest. The most recent alleged incident in the photographic record occurred on February 1, 2026. Bay Village Police Department confirmed it responded to a report of child abuse on that date and that an investigation is ongoing.
Miller allegedly wrote a handwritten apology note on the day of the June 2024 boiling water incident, stating "I'm sorry I failed you" and calling himself "a f-k up and worthless." Miller has countered with doorbell footage and an audio recording he says exonerate him, and he posted on X: "The moral of the story is this. My ex-wife needs help. She is more focused on hurting me than loving our child."
Moreno's attorney framed the evidence differently: "The photographic evidence speaks for itself. These images, combined with the documented history in court filings, directly contradict years of Mr. Miller's denial."
These are disputed claims. No court has ruled on the merits of the abuse allegations, and the custody arrangement, which still permits Miller joint custody, remains in place. But the volume of filings, counter-filings, photographs, and police involvement makes the Ethics Committee's silence harder to explain, not easier.
House Speaker Mike Johnson has declined to weigh in on the Miller matter. In May, he told NBC News:
"I don't get involved in the personal lives of members and those things. You know, he's refuted some of these allegations, and he's got to work that out."
At a July 21 press conference, Johnson reiterated that he did not involve himself with investigations. His office did not respond to the Daily Caller's request for comment on the Ethics Committee's refusal to address the Miller matter. The Democratic Women's Caucus has formally called on the Ethics Committee to open an investigation into Miller, though the specifics of that request have not been made public.
Johnson has shown willingness to address misconduct in other contexts. He recently backed a broader ban on lawmaker-staff relationships after separate misconduct allegations surfaced within the House Republican conference. That makes his hands-off posture toward the Miller allegations a deliberate choice, not an oversight.
The contrast with other cases is difficult to ignore. The Ethics Committee opened an investigation into Rep. Cory Mills of Florida in November 2025 over allegations of dating violence, sexual misconduct, and campaign finance violations. That probe has since escalated; the Department of Justice opened its own criminal investigation into Mills as the ethics probe intensified.
In May 2026, the committee opened a separate investigation into Rep. Chuck Edwards of North Carolina over sexual harassment claims. Both cases involved allegations of personal misconduct by sitting members, the same broad category that covers the Miller matter.
The committee has not explained what distinguishes Miller's situation from those of Mills and Edwards. It has not said whether it received a formal complaint, whether it reviewed the available evidence, or whether it made any determination at all. "No comment" is not a denial, but it is not accountability either.
Sen. Bernie Moreno's spokesperson, Reagan McCarthy, offered a measured statement to the Daily Caller:
"Senator Moreno's top priority is the safety and well-being of his daughter and granddaughter. While he does not litigate these matters in the media or respond to baseless public attacks, he will do whatever it takes to ensure a just outcome for his family."
The senator's restraint is notable. Miller has accused him directly of enabling his daughter's allegations, yet Moreno has not fired back publicly. That discipline suggests a family more focused on the courtroom than the press room, which only sharpens the question of why the Ethics Committee treats this matter as something it cannot even acknowledge.
Moreno is not the first woman to accuse Miller of abusive behavior. Former White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham accused Miller of abuse in a Washington Post op-ed published on October 5, 2021. The specific contents of Grisham's allegations were not detailed in the Daily Caller's reporting, but the existence of a prior, public accusation from a separate individual adds context that the Ethics Committee presumably has access to.
Washington has seen a string of misconduct allegations against powerful figures in recent months. A federal judge was recently accused of repeated sexual encounters with a police commander inside courthouse chambers, a case that underscored how institutional silence can enable misconduct by those who hold public authority.
Miller remains in office. He has not been charged. He maintains joint custody of his daughter. He says the allegations are fabricated. Those are facts that weigh in his favor, and they deserve fair weight.
But a two-year-old with a fractured collarbone, photographs of bruises and burns, a police investigation, a handwritten apology note, a prior abuse accusation from a different woman, and a restraining order filed one day before the Ethics Committee said "No comment", those are facts too. And they deserve more than silence from the body charged with holding members of Congress accountable.
Accountability is not a personal matter. It is the whole point of an ethics committee, and right now, this one is not doing its job.
