10
Loading video...
By Joshua Rhett Miller
Senior Reporter
0
Share
Newsweek is a Trust Project member
See more of our trusted coverage when you search.Prefer Newsweek on Googleto see more of our trusted coverage when you search.
Ohio Representative Max Miller shared private images of his young daughter on social media on Sunday, including one his ex-wife's lawyer claims could be considered child sex abuse material.
In a letter Monday, attorney Subodh Chandra, who represents Miller's ex-wife Emily Moreno, accused attorney Aaron Minc of allowing the lawmaker to share a Dropbox folder on X to coincide with a "video rant" about the mother of Miller's 2-year-old daughter amid their acrimonious custody battle.
...
Read More on Politics
"The first time Miller shared the folder, it contained private images of Miller and Ms. Moreno's daughter and left her name unredacted," Chandra wrote to Minc. "At least one of those images could be considered Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) because the daughter's genitals appear to be visible."
Miller's post with a link to the Dropbox folder garnered more than 204,000 views between the time it was posted early Sunday through Monday afternoon, Chandra wrote.
"We write to demand an explanation about how this occurred," Chandra's letter continued. "Whose ideas was it to share this intimate image of the child?"
Chandra requested a response from Miller’s attorneys by Wednesday.
"We view this matter with the utmost seriousness and hope you and your client do as well," he wrote. "Honest responses should not take long."
In a statement to Newsweek early Tuesday, Minc took responsibility for the error.
...
"In the course of assembling and publishing a large volume of documents, I was responsible for ensuring that any sensitive information was redacted and removed from the files," he said in a statement. "I took several steps to do this, made multiple passes and searches to redact and delete anything I could find, including the child's name throughout and any other private information. I bleeped audio mentions of her name. I converted video files to audio so her image would not appear. I redacted current addresses and dates of birth that I could find referenced for any of the parties. I deleted metadata or converted files into PDFs where relevant."
But Minc said he missed the final section of a lengthy document with "sensitive content."
"It was completely unintentional and a mistake," Minc's statement continued. "The moment I discovered the issue on Monday morning, I corrected the file immediately. To be clear, this was completely my fault. I am solely responsible for what happened. I 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. I am Mr. Miller's personal counsel. I am not paid by, and do not work for, his campaign."
Minc said he wanted to apologize to Miller, Moreno, their families and their daughter.
"I deeply regret the mistake," Minc said. "I find it egregious and shameful that Ms. Moreno and [her] counsels have decided to make a media spectacle regarding this unfortunate mistake and attract media attention to this incident as a means to try to gain leverage in court and distract from the underlying evidence that exonerates Mr. Miller from the false allegations he is accused of, and we are attempting to fight on his behalf."
Related Story
Max Miller: Potential Candidates Who Could Replace Republican in Ohio Race
Minc also disputed Chandra's characterization contained in Monday's letter.
"There were no images of 'genitals,'" Minc told Newsweek in an email. "A two-year-old girl had her shirt off. That is a deliberately false, sensationalized, and disgusting characterization."
Some Republican lawmakers have called for Miller to step down as he seeks reelection, including Ohio Senator Bernie Moreno, who is Emily Moreno's father. Miller, a two-term congressman and former White House aide under President Donald Trump, has not been charged with a crime in connection with the allegations of prior domestic abuse, including accusations that he threatened Emily Moreno with a firearm and physically assaulted her, which he has repeatedly denied.
Senator Moreno said Tuesday that the ongoing dispute has been the “seventh level of hell” for his family.
...
"My daughter lives in constant fear of this man,” Moreno told reporters. “Not something that’s existential, but deeply in her heart, she fears what this guy is capable of. You can't fathom what that makes me feel like, when the dad's number one job is to protect your kid. This has been brutal beyond comprehension and if there's any minimum standard for being an elected official, as I’ve said, he feels to meet that minimum, basic standard.”
Emily Moreno filed a restraining order against Miller last week, alleging that he will "continue to harass, threaten and communicate" with her attorney directly, court filings show.
Miller, meanwhile, insisted he has "absolutely nothing to hide" in a statement released early 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," Miller wrote on X. "I have absolutely nothing to hide. We will be providing the committee all necessary documents needed for a detail examination. The accusations continue to change, but my facts stay the same. I am looking forward to my colleagues reading everything for themselves."
...
Later Tuesday, Miller appeared on CNN and struck a defiant tone, questioning why Senator Moreno took so long to comment publicly while insisting he had committed no wrongdoing.
"Sadly, this has nothing to do with my daughter," Miller said. "I have never done these things. It’s an honor for me to have a platform like this to continue to fight."
Miller, who continues to have joint custody of his daughter, does not intend to drop his reelection bid amid the mounting political pressure, the embattled lawmaker said late Tuesday.
"I am never going to give up," Miller said, adding that he expects to be reelected in November. "I will continue to finish this."
Miller also denied using illegal drugs on Thursday, hours after an outlet published a photograph purportedly showing the lawmaker holding an intravenous needle. He had been taking testosterone replacement therapy, he said.
A spokesperson for Miller, who has been endorsed by President Donald Trump, had previously claimed the accusations are politically motivated and mired in the former couple's ongoing custody battle, while noting a judge has continued to grant joint custody of their daughter.
"If there were credible evidence supporting these outrageous accusations, that simply would not be the case," Miller's spokeswoman, Abigail Angelos, told Newsweek in an email on Thursday. "Congressman Miller will continue to vigorously defend his reputation against false and reckless allegations designed to inflame public opinion rather than reflect reality. This narrative has gone on long enough."
The House Ethics Committee announced later Tuesday that an investigation into whether Miller may have engaged in "domestic violence and abuse or illegal drug use" had been launched.
"The committee notes that the mere fact that it is investigating these allegations, and publicly disclosing its review, does not itself indicate that any violation has occurred," the panel said in a statement.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune sidestepped questions Tuesday regarding calls for Miller to resign.
"It’s a very sad and unfortunate case," Thune told reporters. "It is a family matter; I don’t have any observations beyond that."
Pressed further, Thune declined to say whether members of Congress facing domestic violence allegations should step down.
"Those decisions on the future there are going to be made ultimately by the people of Ohio," Thune said.
Trump, for his part, has declined to indicate publicly whether Miller, who served as a senior adviser during his first presidency, should exit the race.
"I know Max," Trump told reporters on Monday. "He's a good person. I mean, I always thought he was a very good person. And I'm going to let the families figure that out."
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Jason Lemon and Sam Wilson.
View 0 Comments
Submit Correction
View Editorial & AI Guidelines