GOP Senator Says Family Dispute Put Him In ‘Seventh Level Of Hell’

Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-OH) said Tuesday that his former son-in-law, Rep. Max Miller (R-OH), has put his family into the “seventh level of hell” as the increasingly public feud between the two Republicans escalates.

Miller and Emily Moreno, the senator’s daughter, have spent months battling in court over custody of their young daughter, with Emily accusing the congressman of domestic abuse and child endangerment. Miller has denied the allegations, sued his ex-wife for defamation, and publicly claimed she suffers from mental illness.

Speaking with entertainment site TMZ from a Capitol Hill hallway, Moreno addressed Miller’s recent statements and took questions about why he hadn’t gone public with his feelings earlier. The one topic he refused to address was politics, saying repeatedly that he did not care about how his statements could affect Miller’s re-election campaign — and, by extension, the balance of power in the House of Representatives.

WATCH:

???????? BREAKING: Sen. Bernie Moreno speaks out on camera about ex-son-in-law Rep. Max Miller, calling his family’s ordeal “truly the seventh level of hell” pic.twitter.com/b1OtdoJOqs

— TMZ (@TMZ) August 4, 2026

“Did the lawyer for Max Miller apologize to you?” one reporter asked, and Moreno said he had not.

“Do you think that Max Miller should resign from Congress?” another asked.

Moreno turned to face the reporters and asked, “Did you read my statement?”

The Ohio senator went on to say that he believed Miller should not serve in Congress, adding, “He needs serious help.”

One reporter pointed to a statement from Miller in which he’d said Moreno was only attacking him to “hide from” his “own circus,” and asked what that might be referencing.

“The ramblings of a madman,” Moreno said, adding, “I don’t even know what that means.”

“What do you think about Miller telling Trump he could still win?” a reporter asked.

Moreno was adamant: “Look, I don’t care about the politics. I hope that you understand — or maybe I hope that you never have to understand — what my daughter has been through, what my daughter is going through, what my wife is going through … this is truly the seventh level of hell.”

Moreno spoke with the reporters for several minutes, explaining that although his family had been dealing with the situation privately for two years, he had not spoken publicly because his daughter had asked him to help de-escalate the situation with Miller so they could co-parent. Reporting from The Atlantic appears to back that up, with the outlet citing several sources who said that Emily Moreno did not want her daughter to grow up and see articles and videos showing her grandfather and her father attacking each other.

All of that had changed, he said, when Miller gave a public statement on Sunday and claimed that Moreno’s daughter was mentally ill.

“My daughter lives in constant fear of this man,” Moreno said, adding, “You can’t fathom what that makes me feel like when the dad’s number one job is to protect your kids.”

He explained that he had been the one to pick up his granddaughter on Sunday because he didn’t want his daughter to have to interact with Miller any more than absolutely necessary — and that they had to arrange a pickup at a local police station “because I don’t know what this guy’s capable of.”

Miller, Moreno said, initially refused to return his granddaughter’s favorite blue bunny — the one toy that she always slept with: “This girl is crying at night because she can’t sleep without her little blue bunny. His answer is, ‘I’m just not going to give it to you.'”

Moreno also accused Miller and his attorney, in their attempt to publish evidence that backed his side of things, of having released photos of his granddaughter “completely naked” — something that Miller’s attorney said was “completely unintentional.”

“My personal opinion is that this is a felony and that every single human being that touched that photo and transmitted it electronically should go to jail because it is illegal to do that,” he said.

Miller also addressed the ongoing situation on Tuesday, declaring his innocence and promising to prove it through an ethics investigation — which was launched Tuesday.

“In light of all the renewed interest in my family affairs I am going to file my own paperwork for an ethics investigation into myself to clear my name from these horrific attacks on myself and family. I have absolutely nothing to hide. We will be providing the committee all necessary documents needed for a detail [sic] examination,” Miller posted via X. “The accusations continue to change, but my facts stay the same. I am looking forward to my colleagues reading everything for themselves.”