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New York GOP Representative Mike Lawler chose to go back and forth with Dana Bash rather than make any commitment to return the $10,000 he accepted from his embattled colleague, Ohio Representative Mike Miller—who was sued by his ex-wife today for accidentally sharing images of their two-year-old daughter’s genitalia while attempting to discredit other disturbing accusations against him.
“You received $10,000 from Congressman Miller’s PAC this election cycle. Your campaign spokesman told Politico you have no plans to return the money. Now Miller, of course, has been accused of abusing his ex-wife and his daughter—allegations he denies,” Bash asked Lawler on CNN Thursday afternoon. “Why have you decided not to return the $10,000?”
“Well, first of all, there’s been a lot of allegations leveled. I know Max very well. I’ve talked to him personally over the last two years about this very difficult family situation—it’s tragic. I don’t think anybody disagrees about that,” Lawler said. “But this is something that should play out in family court. I think the fact that some in the media and my Democratic colleagues have tried to turn it into a spectacle and,
you know, use this situation for political points is wrong.”
He then turned focus away from Bash’s question and onto his upcoming midterm opponent Cait Conley, who took money from former New York Governor Eliot Spitzer in 2017. Spitzer resigned in 2008 after he was caught in a prostitution ring.
“Okay, so I’m asking you specifically about Max Miller … you said you’ve talked to him a lot privately,” Bash pushed. “It sounds like you’re saying that you’re not returning the donations because you get into that because you believe him?”
Miller has been accused of holding a gun to his wife’s head, scalding her with boiling water, breaking his two-year-old daughter’s collarbone, and using drugs. Miller has denied all of it, referring to the boiling water specifically as a “playful incident.”
When asked about the allegations, Lawler was defensive. “Look, this is a private family matter that unfortunately has spilled out into the public. It should be adjudicated in family court. Max has been accused, Max has also made accusations against his ex-wife. It is tragic,” he said, refusing—like nearly every Republican in Congress—to seriously condemn the allegations against Miller and call for his resignation.
“Obviously, I don’t condone any level of abuse, but ultimately there’s been nothing that has been corroborated here, which is part of the reason why Max is continuing to run for reelection.”
The most full-throated GOP rebuke of Miller came from his father-in-law, Ohio Senator Bernie Moreno. “He is a danger to my daughter, and I hold my breath every minute he has custody of my granddaughter,” Moreno wrote on X. “If there are any basic standards of character required to hold elected office, Max Miller fails them.”
Virtually every Republican except Emily Moreno’s father has deferred to the House Ethics Committee, refusing to call on Miller’s resignation, even as Senator Moreno calls him someone who needs “serious psychological help.”
“This is the typical Washington media game where it’s always: An allegation comes up, you must return the money,” Lawler said. “It’s the typical game. Everybody plays, and it doesn’t actually do anything to further the situation. If there’s evidence that Max did something, then obviously there should be a thorough investigation of that. But thus far, there’s been nothing to verify any of the claims that have been leveled. I think it is a tragic family situation. We all know people who have gone through nasty divorces.”
Lawler didn’t say whether he thought this was simply a “nasty divorce” or what precisely was “tragic” about the family situation. Then again, he didn’t have to.
TOP US NEWS I TRENDING NEWS I VIRAL NEWS I NEWS TODAY I 2026
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