Rep. Max Miller (R-Ohio) vehemently denied claims he burned and beat his ex-wife Thursday after photos surfaced purportedly showing the aftermath of the alleged physical abuse amid an ugly child custody battle.
Emily Moreno – Miller’s ex-wife and the daughter of Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio) – has been documenting the alleged abuse for years in shocking selfies, obtained by the Daily Mail, which appear to show bruises on her arms and torso and burns on her chest from the Republican congressman’s purported fits of rage.
The most recent instance of alleged abuse took place on Feb. 1, after an argument broke out when Moreno, 32, went over to Miller’s Ohio home to pick up their 2-year-old daughter, according to the claims.
Miller, 37, allegedly grabbed and hit Moreno in front of their daughter, leaving black and blue and red marks on her arms, elbow and abdomen.
Moreno snapped photos in front of a bathroom mirror the following day, showing her injuries.
The Bay Village Police Department confirmed that it responded to a report of child abuse on that date and that an investigation is ongoing, according to the outlet.
In an earlier incident, Miller allegedly hurled a pot of boiling water at Moreno during a June 9, 2024, argument.
Some of the boiling water hit Moreno in the chest and she took photographs of her injuries the same day, sources told the outlet.
One image showed Moreno with her T-shirt collar pulled down, revealing redness across her upper chest.
Their daughter was at home and looking on when the alleged incident took place, sources said.
A handwritten apology note, which did not reference physical abuse, was allegedly penned by Miller to Moreno on the day of the incident.
“I don’t know what to do. I do know you love me, protect me, and care for me. I failed to do that for you,” Miller allegedly wrote. “I’m sorry and I just want to close my eyes and wake up and everything be normal.
“I know that won’t happen. I’m sorry I failed you and [their daughter]. It’s eating me alive. I love you, even if you think I don’t. I love you so much. I’m so sorry. I’m just a f–k up and worthless.”
The couple filed for divorce two months after the alleged water-throwing incident.
“The photographic evidence speaks for itself. These images, combined with the documented history in court filings, directly contradict years of Mr Miller’s denial,” Moreno’s attorney told the Daily Mail. “Any claim that Ms Moreno fabricated these allegations collapses in the face of contemporaneous physical evidence.”
“It is unfortunate that these matters have become public when Ms Moreno has made every effort to keep them private and out of court for the sake of their daughter,” her attorney added. “But the ongoing pattern of behavior, coupled with the continued denials, has made silence no longer possible.”
Miller denied the accusations in a lengthy social media post, in which he included evidence he claims refutes the allegations of abuse.
“The moral of the story is this. My ex-wife needs help,” the congressman wrote on X. “She is more focused on hurting me than loving our child.
“She does not need ‘journalists’ that do nothing more than copy and paste what they receive from terrible lawyers, convincing someone that this will help them in court…it won’t.”
Miller shared doorbell camera footage from the day of the alleged Feb. 1 assault showing Moreno leaving his home with their daughter and later returning for their dogs.
“Yes, I even said I love you on their way out,” Miller noted, adding, “Why would she [return to get the dogs] if she was afraid?”
Miller previously attested in a court document that his girlfriend was at the home when the alleged assault took place, but later retracted the claim.
The congressman also shared an audio recording of Moreno, dated Aug. 7, 2024 – after the alleged boiling water incident – where his ex tells him: “You are a very kind person and I don’t think you would ever hurt me physically.”
Miller, who was elected to the House in 2022, did multiple stints in the first Trump administration, including a Treasury Department role, serving as an associate director of the Presidential Personnel Office, and as a special assistant to the president.
The second-term congressman previously had a nasty defamation battle with former White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham, his ex-girlfriend, over a book she wrote detailing alleged “abusive” and “violent” behavior from an unnamed White House staffer.
In the secret audio recording shared by Miller, Moreno appears to refute Grisham’s allegations, suggesting what she wrote was “cruel” and “evil.”
Reps for Miller and Moreno did not immediately respond to The Post’s requests for comment.
