DETROIT — An attorney for embattled Rep. Max Miller admitted Tuesday to inadvertently including a shirtless photo of the GOP congressman’s two-year-old daughter in a trove of digital files the lawmaker released over the weekend in a bid to defend himself from abuse allegations.
Miller (R-Ohio) made the files public during a Sunday livestream on X during which he strenuously denied abusing his ex-wife, Emily Moreno, or their child.
“I am solely responsible for what happened,” Miller’s attorney, Aaron Minc, said in a statement. “I was the only person responsible for assembling, creating, reviewing, adding, deleting, redacting, or making any changes to the information and files that were in this folder.”
Minc stressed that including the photo was “completely unintentional and a mistake.”
The initial link to the files shared by Miller Sunday morning was taken offline for reasons that remain unclear. He then posted a second link that was still live as of midday Tuesday.
Miller and Moreno are locked in a bitter custody battle over the tot after he filed for divorce in August 2024. The congressman also sued his ex in May for defamation over her abuse allegations.
Moreno’s attorneys in the defamation case raised concerns late Monday about the image, which they said “could be considered Child Sexual Abuse Material” since the “daughter’s genitals appear to be visible.”
They also faulted Miller’s team for failing to redact the toddler’s name from the files, which they said had been accessed more than 204,000 times since Sunday.
“We view this matter with the utmost seriousness and hope you and your client do as well,” wrote Moreno’s attorney, Subodh Chandra, in the filing.
Minc disputed Chandra’s salacious characterization.
“There were no images of ‘genitals,’” he told Politico Tuesday. “A two-year-old girl had her shirt off. That is a deliberately false, sensationalized, and disgusting characterization.”
Moreno has accused Miller of shoving her, dumping hot water on her, and holding a gun to her head. The case record also includes a police report which describes Moreno raising concerns about her daughter’s broken collarbone and “what appeared to be a handprint bruise” on her shoulder.
Miller, 37, has denied his ex-wife’s allegations.
On Sunday, Moreno’s father, Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio), called on Miller to get psychological help and argued that he was unfit to be a member of Congress.
If Miller drops out before Wednesday, Republicans in Ohio will be able to hold a quickie primary to replace him on the ballot.
A recent Democrat-backed poll showed Miller with a one-point edge over Bernie Sanders-backed challenger Brian Poindexter in Ohio’s 7th District, which President Trump won by 11 points in 2024.
A spokesperson for Emily Moreno did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
