A nasty and long-running child custody dispute involving Ohio GOP congressman Max Miller and his ex-wife, Emily Moreno, took a new turn over the weekend when the congressman’s former father-in-law, Senator Bernie Moreno, also of Ohio, broke his silence on the dispute and said he believes Miller “should not serve” in Congress.
“As he has admitted privately, Max Miller needs serious psychological help. He is a danger to my daughter, and I hold my breath every minute he has custody of my granddaughter,” Moreno, a first-term senator and former car dealer, wrote in a Sunday morning statement. “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. 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.”
Child custody battles are often ugly, and this case is certainly no exception. Emily Moreno alleged multiple instances of abuse by her ex-husband, including that he held a gun to her head and threw scalding hot water on her, and has said that his history of alleged violence meant she couldn’t rule out that their daughter suffered a fractured clavicle under his care. No criminal charges were filed in relation to any of these incidents. The dispute grew nastier in March, when Moreno filed a request in court to reopen their child’s custody agreement.
Miller has flatly denied all allegations that he committed domestic abuse against his ex-wife and child, and filed a defamation suit against Moreno in May. He has alleged that she is a liar and has untreated bipolar disorder, a claim her lawyer has disputed.
