Topline
Rep. Max Miller's, R-Ohio, ex-wife, Emily Moreno, sued the lawmaker in federal court Wednesday, alleging he published a nude image of their 2-year-old daughter, as the congressman faces calls to end his reelection bid over domestic abuse allegations.
Rep. Max Miller, R-Ohio, has dismissed the domestic abuse allegations leveled by his wife and signaled he will press ahead with his reelection campaign despite calls to drop out.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
Key Facts
The civil rights suit was filed before the Northern District of Ohio federal court by Moreno on behalf of her 2-year-old.
The filing alleges that Miller and his lawyer Aaron Minc “recklessly published†a nude image of the toddler “depicting her genitalia.â€
The suit alleges that the photo was published by Miller in a bid to “salvage his political job,†amid Moreno's domestic abuse allegations against him.
The alleged image was saved to a Dropbox folder with other documents that Miller shared on X after he hosted a livestream on the platform defending himself against the abuse allegations.
The filing notes that the two X posts with the Dropbox link made by Miller racked up more than 400,000 views and remained online for 23 hours.
The suit alleges that despite repeated requests, Miller and Minc have refused to share details on how many times they “disclosed and transferred the intimate image†to viewers and the identities of who may have accessed the photos.
Crucial Quote
“Miller's recklessness is underscored by the fact that any parent knows—in this era and world filled with pedophiles, creeps, and AI-generated image alteration and video generation—not to put nude pictures of their child, or any child, on the public internet,†the suit added.
What To Watch For
The suit argues that Miller and Minc violated both Ohio state and federal laws by sharing the sensitive image and seeks $150,000 in damages for Moreno's daughter.
What Has Miller's Lawyer Said About The Alleged Nude Image?
In a statement shared with Politico last week, Minc said he was “solely responsible†for the release of the image and said it was “completely unintentional and a mistake.†The congressman's lawyer added that he 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.â€
Key Background
Miller has been accused of physical and verbal abuse by his ex-wife Emily Moreno. Citing court filings, Mother Jones reported last month that Moreno accused Miller of throwing hot water at her and holding a gun to her head, among other things. In the filings, Moreno also mentioned a February incident that left their infant daughter with a broken collarbone. Miller, on the other hand, has claimed that his ex-wife struggles with mental health issues and her allegations against him are meant to aid in a custody battle for their two-year-old daughter. Moreno is the daughter of Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, who has called for Miller's resignation and described him as a “danger to my daughter†who needs “serious psychological help.â€
What Do We Know About Miller's Re-election Bid?
Several GOP lawmakers, including Sen. Jon Husted, R-Ohio—who is also up for reelection during the midterms—have called for Miller to resign and end his reelection bid. A recent poll released by co/efficient also showed that Miller was now 14 points behind his Democratic rival last week, sinking from 5 points down in late July as more people have become aware of allegations against him. Miller, however, has dismissed these calls and has signaled he will press forward. Last week he told the Wall Street Journal that he will be loaning $1 million to his own campaign. The large loan will help his campaign gain a sizable financial advantage over his Democratic opponent Brian Poindexter.
further reading
Max Miller Will Pour $1 Million Into His Reelection Bid Despite Growing Calls To Drop Out (Forbes)
These 5 Republican Senators Urge Max Miller To Resign—As Ohio's Husted Joins Ranks (Forbes)
