– Bernie Moreno, 59, accuses Max Miller of holding his granddaughter’s stuffed blue bunny hostage for 48 hours
– Miller is a 37-year-old Ohio congressman and ex-son-in-law to Moreno
– Emily Moreno, Moreno’s daughter, was married to Miller from August 2022 to June 2025
– They have a 2-year-old daughter
– Moreno made the bunny comment on Tuesday, August 4 on Capitol Hill
– Moreno said it was “the seventh level of hell”
– Miller released a livestream video on Sunday denying all abuse allegations
– Emily has accused Miller of throwing hot water on her, holding a gun to her head, and breaking their daughter’s collarbone
– Miller denies all allegations and has not been charged
– Moreno said Emily “lives in constant fear” and the past two years have been “brutal beyond comprehension”
– Miller said he will ask House Ethics Committee to investigate
Sen. Bernie Moreno, 59, told reporters Tuesday on Capitol Hill that what his family endured amid his daughter’s custody battle with her ex-husband was “truly the seventh level of hell.”
Moreno was speaking out against his former son-in-law, Rep. Max Miller, 37, of Ohio, accusing the congressman of putting the family through that torment amid the bitter divorce and custody fight with Moreno’s daughter, Emily.
Moreno even claimed Miller recently refused to return the toddler’s beloved blue bunny following a custody exchange, leaving the little girl crying at night for two days without the stuffed animal she sleeps with.
The family feud exploded into public view Sunday when Miller released a video denying Emily’s abuse allegations and claiming she has “significant mental health challenges.”
Moreno fired back in a blistering statement calling Miller “a danger” to Emily and saying he should not serve in Congress.
“This has been a horrific experience for my entire family,” Moreno said Tuesday. “My daughter lives in constant fear of this man, not like something that’s existential, but deeply in her heart, she fears what this guy is capable of.”
Moreno initially stayed silent.
“As a father and husband, I can tell you the last two years have been pure hell for my wife Bridget, our daughter Emily, me, and our entire family in the aftermath of Emily’s divorce,” Moreno said in his Sunday statement. “It has been horrific to watch this play out in full public view, all while knowing an innocent two-year-old girl is caught in the middle. Out of concern for the safety of my family, I hoped to keep this matter private but Max Miller’s increasingly erratic and dangerous behavior has made that impossible.”
“I hold my breath every minute he has custody of my granddaughter,” he added, saying Miller needs “serious psychological help” and is a “danger” to his daughter.
Miller fired back immediately.
“You know this isn’t true and the only reason you are speaking out now is to hide from your own media circus. This is all political,” Miller wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
Emily’s spokesperson responded too.
“It is shameful that Max Miller decided to go on a bizarre and lie-filled rant about his ex-wife to desperately try to save his political career,” said Stefan Mychajliw, Emily Moreno’s spokesman.
Emily Moreno has accused Miller of throwing hot water on her, throwing her against a wall and holding a gun to her head, according to police reports. Their daughter has also suffered a broken collarbone and bruising, the cause of which was disputed but investigated by police in February 2026.
“Ask yourself: If I had assaulted her, would she have offered to cook me dinner six days later?” Miller said in his livestream Sunday. “Would she have invited me to spend an afternoon at the playground with her and our daughter?”
Miller denies it all.
“I categorically deny abusing my former wife,” Miller said in the livestream.
He has not been charged with any crime.
Max Miller and Emily Moreno married in August 2022 at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey, with Donald Trump attending the wedding. Miller filed for divorce in August 2024, only two years after the wedding.
The divorce was finalized in 2025, and the legal conflict between the former couple has continued through an ongoing custody dispute involving their young daughter.
In the settlement, the couple agreed to joint custody, and Miller consented to pay $2,500 a month in child support, according to court records.
The bunny was a flashpoint.
Moreno also called out Miller for posting naked photos of his 2-year-old daughter online Sunday, calling it “grotesque” and saying everyone who electronically transmitted the images should go to jail — Miller’s lawyer said the photos were shared accidentally.
“Ramblings of madmen,” Moreno said Tuesday on Capitol Hill of Miller’s remarks.
The Ohio senator insisted politics has nothing to do with his attack, saying Emily lives in constant fear of Miller and the past two years have been “brutal beyond comprehension” for their entire family.
“If there’s any minimum standard for being an elected official, as I said, he fails to meet that minimum basic standard. I don’t care about politics at all. Don’t think about it. Doesn’t enter my consciousness,” Moreno said.
Miller escalated further.
“We will be providing the committee all necessary documents needed for a detail examination,” Miller said Tuesday on X, announcing he will ask the House Ethics Committee to investigate him.
“The accusations continue to change, but my facts stay the same. I am looking forward to my colleagues reading everything for themselves,” he added.
Miller adamantly denies all claims of abuse.
Trump called Miller on Monday and “never asked me to drop out,” Miller told CNN in a text message Tuesday.
Miller is running for reelection in Ohio’s 7th district, facing Democratic nominee Brian Poindexter in the November midterms.