A Republican congressman’s denial that he held his toddler daughter’s stuffed animal “hostage” blew up in his face Thursday when a reporter unearthed records disproving his claims.
Rep. Max Miller (R-OH) fired back Tuesday on X at Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-OH), his ex-wife Emily’s father, who had accused Miller on Auf. 4 of holding the blue bunny hostage during a recent custody exchange.
“[P]lease stop the lies,” Miller snapped back on X. “My daughter got her bunny back in 14 hours.”
But records obtained by Mother Jones show the court-appointed parenting coordinator in Miller’s custody case said he refused to return the toy despite her own recommendation that it stay with the child.
On Aug. 3 — one day before Bernie Moreno went public — Andrew Zashin, Emily Moreno’s attorney, emailed Miller’s legal team about the bunny.
“For no apparent reason, Max is not returning [redacted]’s blue bunny to Emily,” Zashin wrote, according to Mother Jones. “Dr. Koricke tried to get the blue bunny back. Dr. K made clear that despite her recommendation that the blue bunny stay with Emily, Max refuses to return it.”
“This is totally ridiculous,” Zashin wrote. “Please have Max return the bunny forthwith.”
In March 2025, more than a year before the dispute became national news, Emily Moreno had already sent Miller an email asking him to return the toy, according to Mother Jones.
“Please don’t punish [redacted] if you’re upset with me,” she wrote.
On Tuesday, Sen. Moreno stood before reporters at the Capitol and described picking up his granddaughter at a police station without the bunny she cannot sleep without, according to the Washington Examiner.
“She has a little blue bunny that she sleeps with,” Sen. Moreno said.
“Max would not hand over the little blue bunny. Literally held it hostage for 48 hours. 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.’ … This is the level of total and complete depravity,” Sen. Moreno said.
Emily Moreno has accused her ex-husband of domestic abuse — claims he denied with a massive document dump that has faced mounting scrutiny.
The crisis has deepened Miller’s reelection trouble in Ohio’s 7th Congressional District, a seat President Donald Trump won by more than 10 points. A poll by a Republican firm, reported by MS NOW, showed Miller trailing Democratic challenger Brian Poindexter 44% to 39%.
Trump called Miller to deliver a warning, which Miller relayed on CNN, according to MS NOW.
“I don’t know if you’re gonna be able to, you know, pull this one out,” Miller said, recounting what Trump told him.
“People have asked me, you know, what are you gonna do? Are you gonna drop out of this race? Are you gonna resign? You know, are you gonna get out before the deadline? And my answer to you, Jake, is no,” Miller told CNN’s Jake Tapper, according to MS NOW.
“He should resign,” Sen. Roger Marshall (R-KS) said, according to MS NOW. “He should quit.”
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