GET OUT: Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio) broke his silence on the latest round of scrutiny surrounding his former son-in-law, Rep. Max Miller (R-Ohio), adding to calls for the congressman to end his reelection bid and leave Congress.
“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,” Moreno said in a post on the social platform X on Sunday.
“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,” he said.
The congressman and his ex-wife, Emily Moreno, have been engaged in a custody battle over their 2-year-old daughter after filing for divorce. She has accused Miller in court filings of extensive domestic abuse, including throwing scalding hot water on her, giving her bruises and holding a gun to her head.
Miller has strongly denied the allegations and filed a defamation suit against his ex-wife. He has also alleged that she has “mental health issues.”
Moreno, Emily’s father, said in his post that he believes Miller needs to “seek professional help to end the clear pattern of abuse he has left in his wake.”
The clock is ticking, as Ohio Republicans only have until Wednesday to replace Miller on the ballot if he drops his reelection bid, and Miller maintained Sunday that he has no plans to do so.
Moreno’s comments mark a high-profile break from his fellow Republicans, who have so far avoided criticizing Miller.
Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) called it a “family matter” during an appearance on CNN on Thursday.
“I know Max is a good man; I was up there campaigning for him; I hope he wins reelection. … We should all pray for his family; these are difficult times that they’re going through,” he said.
Rep. Mike Turner (R-Ohio) similarly punted on weighing in during an interview on CBS News’s “Face the Nation” on Sunday.
“The court should be handling this, which is clearly ongoing, and that’s where this needs to be, not in a television studio,” Turner told Margaret Brennan.
Even if Miller stays in the race past Wednesday’s deadline, he will still likely be favored to win in the conservative-leaning district. The Hill’s Emily Brooks reports that operatives in both parties don’t believe the allegations alone would cause Miller to lose in November.
But polls show the Democratic nominee for the district, Brook Park city council member Brian Poindexter, neck-and-neck with Miller.
▪ Politico: Miller abuse claims have some Republicans sweating.
BACK WHERE WE STARTED: The U.S. is in a familiar place as Trump said over the weekend that he would halt planned U.S. strikes on Iran as the “perimeters of a deal” have been agreed upon.
He said he decided to hold off following a request from Iran and other Middle Eastern countries.
“Based on this request, I have agreed, for the future benefit of the WORLD and, likewise, the survival of a successful and prosperous Iran, to cancel the attack, subject to being able to rapidly make a DEAL,” Trump said on Truth Social, adding that Israel has also agreed to hold fire.
Trump said the deal would include the “Immediate, Complete, and Total” reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and an “end to Iran’s nuclear threat.”
Multiple outlets reported Friday that the U.S. and Israel had been planning to resume strikes this weekend after a pause. A dispute over the strait has fueled the most recent fighting, with tensions escalating over approved routes for vessels to use the waterway.
Oil and gas prices have shot up in recent weeks as the fighting picked up and the conflict showed signs of expanding to other parts of the region.
▪ The Hill: Defense secretary struggles to sell Senate on Iran war funding.
▪ The Hill: Houthis push back on report of Red Sea shipping fares.
INTERNAL RIFT: Trump is breaking with U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro over her move to drop charges against an Olympic canoeist accused of vandalizing the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.
Trump called out Pirro, the top federal prosecutor for the District of Columbia, after her office moved to dismiss the case against David Hearn, who had pleaded not guilty to felony destruction of property. Hearn was accused of ripping up the bottom liner of the pool, causing $1,000 in damage.
Pirro’s office said in a Friday filing that the blame for the damage falls on the contractor, Atlantic Industrial Coatings, for a “rushed and botched installation.” It said the damage was caused by “over spraying and delamination.”
Trump said he disagrees “100%” with Pirro’s decision, arguing it was a “pure case of VANDALISM.”
“I don’t know what she was thinking?” he wrote on Truth Social.
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum sided with Trump in the dispute, saying over the weekend that his department provided Pirro’s office with “every piece of evidence” requested along with expert and eyewitness testimony. Pirro accused the Interior Department of misleading her office on key facts of the case.
▪ The Hill: Democrats slam administration after case dropped.
▪ The Hill: GOP senator unsure whether Trump believes his own vandalism claims.
