Max Miller should resign over domestic abuse allegations | Opinion

Rep. Max Miller, R-Ohio, is accused of domestic and child abuse by his ex-wife, Emily Moreno, daughter of Ohio Republican Sen. Bernie Moreno. A former girlfriend, ex-White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham, has accused him of abuse, too.

Republicans were quick to hammer Democrats for standing by former Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner as allegations piled up, before Democrats ultimately pushed him out of the race. They've been far more reluctant to call on Miller to resign.

If Republicans want to be consistent, they need to hold their own just as accountable as the other side.

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What are the allegations against Max Miller?

Court filings allege that Miller put a gun to Emily Moreno's head, scalded her with hot water and fractured their daughter's collarbone, among other instances of abuse.

The allegations surfaced during a lengthy custody battle after the couple divorced in 2025.

Rep. Max Miller (R-OH) leaves a House Republican Caucus meeting on Capitol Hill on Nov. 19, 2024 in Washington, DC. Rep. Max Miller recently said he'll continue in his reelection bid, despite calls for him to resign because of domestic abuse allegations.

Max Miller arrives with White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham for a State Dinner for Australia’s Prime Minister Scott Morrison at the White House in Washington, Sept. 20, 2019. Miller was a political appointee during the first Trump administration.

Follow Rep. Max Miller’s political career

Miller has denied the accusations. He said his former wife faces "significant mental health challenges," and pointed to that – along with the fact that he still shares joint custody of his daughter – as evidence against her claims.

He's even invited a House ethics probe into his conduct, which is now underway.

"I have absolutely nothing to hide," Miller wrote on X.

Grisham, who dated him during Trump's first term when both worked in the White House, wrote in her memoir about dating a White House official who was physically abusive. She didn't name Miller at the time, but has since confirmed she was referring to him.

Sen. Moreno stayed quiet through most of the process, apparently at his daughter's request, to let the legal battle play out. On Aug. 2, he finally released a statement.

"If there are any basic standards of character required to hold elected office, Max Miller fails them," Moreno said on X. "He should not serve in the House of Representatives."

Most Republicans still haven't called on Miller to resign. House Speaker Mike Johnson has stressed that the allegations remain just that.

"The key word there is allegation," Johnson said at a news conference. "We have a process here. The House Ethics Committee works on those things."

Moreno's statement changed that calculus for some Republicans. Sen. Roger Marshall of Kansas and Sen. Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia have since joined the calls for Miller's resignation.

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Republicans need to be consistent

Miller should resign. It would be better for his party, and better for the institution, if he did.

It's better for the Republican Party to expel members credibly accused of abuse. Just a couple of months before these allegations broke, Republicans hammered progressive Democrats for propping up failed Maine Senate nominee Platner, who faced a string of sexual assault and abuse allegations of his own.

Republicans may be nervous about speaking out negatively against Miller, who is in the midst of a tight reelection race. However, as the Platner situation proved, it is better to get out ahead of these rather than allow scandals to become much worse.

"Democrats rolled in the mud with Platner, and now they are completely stained by their association with this sick monster," Republican National Committee Chair Joe Gruters said at the time.

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The same thing will happen to the GOP if it doesn't cleanse itself of the Miller controversy. The only way that happens is if he's expelled from Congress or his name is cleared.

The situations differ in some ways, and credibility matters here: There's plenty of incentive to lie on either side of a custody battle. I understand why Republicans' instinct is to let the facts develop before publicly repudiating Miller.

But a second woman alleging abuse strengthens the case considerably. And with a sitting senator from his own party leading the charge against Miller, Republicans can't afford to treat these allegations lightly.

It's fine if House Republicans want to let the Ethics Committee investigate before calling for Miller's head. But they need to know now: If that investigation confirms the allegations, they must be just as forceful in demanding his resignation as they were in demanding for Platner to drop out.

Anything less, and it'll prove that the party's sudden concern for character was never real.

U.S. Senate candidate from Maine Graham Platner speaks during a campaign townhall event on May 2, 2026 in Appleton, Maine.Platner said he was "taking time to reflect" on his campaign to unseat Republican Sen. Susan Collins amid a new allegation from a Maine woman who said he sexually assaulted her nearly five years ago.

U.S. Senate candidate Graham Platner, a Democrat running to replace Republican Sen. Susan Collins, gives a television interview after a campaign event on May 1, 2026, in Portland, Maine.After months of defending Graham Platner's scandal-plagued Senate campaign, prominent Democrats quickly turned on the oyster farmer following a new sexual assault allegation.

Graham Platner's Senate run in photos, as rallies give way to crisis

Dace Potas is an opinion columnist for USA TODAY and a graduate of DePaul University with a degree in political science.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Max Miller should resign over domestic abuse allegations | Opinion