The House Ethics Committee would not say whether it will probe Rep. Max Miller amid accusations from his ex-wife, even as other GOP members face ethics investigations and legal actions between the parties escalate.

The Ethics Committee answered a reporter’s question with two words: “No comment.” Neither Rep. Miller’s office nor House Speaker Mike Johnson provided responses to further inquiries about whether the panel plans to open a formal review. That silence comes as court filings and allegations multiply around Miller and his ex-wife, Emily Moreno.

Moreno has accused Miller of a series of violent acts spanning roughly a year, including throwing hot water and later holding a gun to her head while their toddler was present. The timeline in filings puts the hot water claims in June 2024 and an alleged gun incident by March 2025. Miller denies all allegations, calls them a smear, and has sued Moreno for defamation; he has never been charged with a crime.

There are also accusations that the couple’s two-year-old suffered a fractured collarbone and a bruise resembling a handprint. State child welfare investigators did not find evidence of abuse against the child, according to reporting on the case. Miller’s campaign spokeswoman flagged the custody arrangement as a point in his favor and framed the allegations as politically damaging and unfounded.

“The facts speak for themselves: the court has continued to permit him joint custody of his child. If there were credible evidence supporting these outrageous accusations, that simply would not be the case. 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 legal back-and-forth has included counterfilings. Miller filed a domestic violence complaint against Moreno in February, then moved to drop that complaint in May without a public explanation for the reversal. Moreno filed a restraining order the day before the committee’s non-answer, asserting that Miller grabbed attorney Andrew Zashin during a court hearing and made threats involving her father, Sen. Bernie Moreno.

“Senator Moreno’s top priority is the safety and well-being of his daughter and granddaughter. While he does not litigate these matters in the media or respond to baseless public attacks, he will do whatever it takes to ensure a just outcome for his family.”

The dispute pits two prominent Ohio Republicans on opposite sides of an increasingly bitter family fight that has spilled into public filings and press accounts. That dynamic has raised questions among Republicans about process, fairness, and when institutions should act to protect victims while preserving due process for the accused.

Speaker Johnson has repeatedly said he will not wade into members’ private lives and declined to micromanage investigations. He put the position plainly to reporters in May:

“I don’t get involved in the personal lives of members and those things. You know, he’s refuted some of these allegations, and he’s got to work that out.”

Still, Democrats including the Democratic Women’s Caucus have urged the Ethics Committee to open a formal inquiry. The panel has moved publicly on other cases recently, initiating investigations into Rep. Cory Mills over allegations of dating violence, sexual misconduct, and campaign finance issues, and into Rep. Chuck Edwards over alleged sexual harassment.

The contrast between action in some cases and silence in others has left observers asking why the committee will comment on certain members but not on Miller. For Republicans who emphasize consistent standards and accountability, uneven enforcement only fuels distrust in the institution charged with policing members’ conduct.

These are not the first public accusations against Miller. Former White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham publicly accused him of abuse in an op-ed dated October 5, 2021. Miller denied those allegations as well, and no criminal charges followed from that claim.

With a defamation suit active, a restraining order pending, and multiple allegations stretching across years, the Ethics Committee’s refusal to clarify whether it will act leaves many procedural questions unanswered. Republicans and others asking for transparency want to know whether the committee will apply the same standards here as it has elsewhere.