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Earlier this week, Speaker of the House of Representatives Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) gave accolades to Rep. Max Miller (R-Ohio), a member of his party who is running for reelection in this year’s midterms despite multiple allegations of abuse from his ex-wife and other women he’s dated.
On Monday, Johnson was asked by reporters about Miller as he was walking through the halls of Congress. The lawmaker, Johnson said, “has been a great member of Congress.”
Johnson also downplayed the allegations against Miller, saying he is merely facing “some issues in his personal life” that he is “working through.”
Asked directly if he still supports Miller’s campaign, Johnson said, “I have supported Max Miller’s re-election.”
Perhaps recognizing that he needed to pare back his comments somewhat, Johnson noted that the “House ethics committee is looking into” the allegations about Miller’s conduct.
“We have to let due process play out,” he said.
Johnson’s comments are a more direct indication of his support for Miller than what he said about a month ago. In early August, when Miller was facing calls to drop out of the congressional race (including from members of his own party), Johnson claimed he was ignorant of the situation, stating at the time that he hadn’t discussed the matter with the Republican congressman.
“It’s not my business to get engaged in it,” Johnson added.
Miller’s ex-wife, Emily Moreno, has alleged that he physically abused her and their 2-year-old daughter. Moreno has alleged that he held a gun to her head, and that he once broke his daughter’s collarbone, among other incidents.
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Following those allegations, other women from Miller’s past have come forward, stating that they, too, were abused by the Republican lawmaker while they were dating him. Miller denies all claims made against him.
Amid attempts to defend his character, Miller posted a link to photographs of his daughter on his social media — images that included a nude image of the child.
Although supported by the Speaker and other members of the GOP, several Republicans have called on Miller to drop out of the race, including his ex-father-in-law, Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio).
“If there are any basic standards of character required to hold elected office, Max Miller fails them,” Moreno said in a post on X last month. “I believe Max Miller needs to seek professional help to end the clear pattern of abuse he has left in his wake. I believe he should not be free to continue endangering others until he does.”
Despite calls for him to step aside, Miller stayed in the race, and a deadline for him to drop out has already passed. Miller has specifically cited President Donald Trump and the numerous allegations of sexual abuse made against him for his decision to continue running.
In 2016, Trump “stayed in the fight,” Miller said in August. “Because Americans see — and one of the qualities that they respect the most is somebody who is resilient.”
The scandal surrounding Miller could result in a Democratic victory this fall in Ohio’s 7th Congressional District, which is widely considered a Republican stronghold. Polling from early August indicates that his opponent, Brook Park City Council member Brian Poindexter, is leading Miller by 14 points. Notably, in 2024, Trump won the district by 11.1 points, and Miller himself won the district by 15 points.
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