As Rep. Max Miller, R-Ohio, faces allegations of domestic abuse, his fellow House Republicans have mostly stayed on the sidelines and avoided weighing in. 

Miller has been accused by his ex-wife, Emily Moreno, of pouring hot water on her and pushing her against a wall, among other allegations. Miller denied the allegations in a livestream on X over the weekend, releasing a folder of documents he said were prepared by his attorneys as “evidence” the claims were false. 

Asked about Miller in the Oval Office on Monday, President Donald Trump told reporters he would “let the families figure that out” as concerns grow over the congressman’s electability.  

“It’s a very sad thing. I know Max, he’s a good person. I mean, I always thought he was a very good person,” he said of his onetime White House staffer, who he endorsed in May.

On Sunday, Miller called the water incident “horseplay” in their kitchen. 

“Just want to be clear: no court, no agency has ever substantiated any allegation of abuse against me. No criminal charge has ever been filed against me,” Miller said Sunday. “Every single one of these allegations were already investigated, and I cooperated fully every single time because I had nothing to hide and I have nothing to hide now.”

His post follows reporting from Mother Jones that Moreno told police she could not rule out Miller’s involvement in their young child’s broken collarbone.

On X, Emily Moreno’s spokesperson Stefan Mychajliw said Miller’s video was “bizarre” and a “lie-filled rant.” 

“There is a documented trove of evidence that Miller has a history of violent and dangerous behavior and no amount of victim shaming will change that,” he wrote. 

Last week, the Democratic Women’s Caucus said the allegations against Miller were “deeply disturbing” and should be investigated by the House Ethics Committee. 

“Every woman and child deserves to live free from fear of violence, especially within the sanctity of their own home, and we will not stop fighting until that’s the reality,” the DWC said in a statement. 

The Ethics Committee has faced criticism over the last few months over the speed of its probes, with many calling for changes in its practices. 

In an interview Tuesday, Rep. Kat Cammack, R-Fla., chair of the GOP Women’s Caucus, said the allegations against Miller were “very serious” and “very troubling” and that if they are true, then he should resign, but added she didn’t know all the details. 

“If those are true, then absolutely that goes without saying. I mean, I can’t understand why somebody wouldn’t be held accountable for something as serious as that. That’s ridiculous,” she said. 

A few House Democrats have called for more immediate action.

“These are the words of an unhinged, sociopathic narcissist with zero sense of accountability,” Rep. Yassamin Ansari, D-Ariz., posted Sunday after Miller’s livestream. “Republicans in Congress need to grow a spine for ONCE and demand his resignation immediately.” 

Ohio Republican Sen. Bernie Moreno, Emily Moreno’s father, has mostly avoided speaking on the issue in public until Miller’s video.  

“If there are any basic standards of character required to hold elected office, Max Miller fails them. He should not serve in the House of Representatives,” Moreno wrote on X, calling the aftermath of his daughter’s divorce “pure hell.” 

But most Republicans have been reluctant to wade into the issue. On July 21, Speaker Mike Johnson said the allegations against Miller were still allegations — not proven to be true or false yet.

“The key word there is allegation. We have a process here. The House Ethics Committee works on those things. If allegations are made, they work through a process,” Johnson said. “And by the way, it’s done for Rs and Ds on both sides of the aisle.” 

When asked if there should be a House Ethics Committee investigation into Miller, Cammack said she didn’t think it was the right use of the panel’s power given that the issue is about his personal life. 

“This is my fear: that the House Ethics Committee becomes kind of a one-stop shop for all things. If it is directly tied to the role that a member has as an elected representative, that’s where you would see an ethics investigation coming into play,” she said. 

“If we’re going down that route, I mean, you could start pulling ethics investigations for a lot of different members for all sorts of different kinds of behavior,” she said. 

Miller currently represents Ohio’s red-leaning 7th District, which Trump carried by 11 points in 2024, according to calculations by Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales, as the congressman was winning a second term by 15 points.

But Democrats are optimistic that historic trends and Trump’s sliding poll numbers will bolster union ironworker Brian Poindexter’s chances of flipping the Cleveland-area district this fall. Inside Elections rates the race Likely Republican.

On Sunday, Poindexter criticized Miller in a social media post. 

“No one credibly accused of holding a gun to his wife’s head and breaking their two-year-old daughter’s collarbone belongs in the halls of power,’’ he said.

Under Ohio law, Miller faces an Aug. 5 deadline to withdraw from the race and allow a special election primary to select a replacement. Party officials could also pick a replacement if he withdraws by Aug. 10. 

But in his video from Sunday, Miller said he was continuing his reelection campaign. 

“At the end of the day, we will continue to hold strong, clear our name, and I could not be more proud and honored not to hide from any of this, as this election is just more about winning a seat in November for the Republican Party. This election, to me, is about my family and about our daughter and keeping our values here, and holding the media and other individuals accountable who have been incredibly reckless,” he said. 

Daniela Altimari contributed to this report.