- WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT
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A Trump-backed congressman accused in court of beating his ex-wife launched into an X-rated outburst at her lawyers during an extraordinary two-hour deposition, video exclusively obtained by the Daily Mail shows.
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video → publish → Mail
Ohio Republican Max Miller, 37, is locked in a bitter custody dispute with his ex-wife Emily Moreno, 32, over their two-year-old daughter.
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Miller → lock → daughter
Miller filed for divorce on their second wedding anniversary in August 2024, two months after Moreno claims he hurled scalding water at her.
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he → file → her
She has also accused him of holding a gun to her head during their marriage and hitting her during a custody exchange, according to court documents.
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She → accuse → documents
He denies all of the allegations.
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He → deny → allegations
The feud has split the GOP.
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feud → split → GOP
Moreno is the daughter of Ohio Senator Bernie Moreno, who has called on Miller to resign and seek 'serious psychological help.'
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who → call → help
Donald Trump, who attended the couple's 2022 wedding at his Bedminster, New Jersey, golf club, has stood by Miller, calling him 'a good person' while declining to weigh in on the allegations.
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who → attend → allegations
Miller sat for the deposition in downtown Cleveland on September 28, as the two sides prepare for a trial over who should raise the child.
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who → sit → child
He was joined by his own lawyers and by Moreno's.
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He → join → Moreno
The Daily Mail obtained the video of the full deposition, along with the redacted deposition transcript entered in court in Ohio.
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Mail → obtain → Ohio
The redacted information is not being published here.
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information → redact → ?
The 37-year-old at times bristled with anger and at others laughed with contempt as he was grilled over allegations that he lied to police and vulgar remarks he allegedly made in front of his ex-wife shortly after she gave birth.
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she → bristle → birth
Miller is alleged to have said that watching Moreno give birth to their daughter was 'like watching the playground get set on fire.'
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playground → allege → fire
He denied the claim, insisting that the remark had been made by a nurse.
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remark → deny → nurse
The Daily Mail obtained video of the deposition in addition to the redacted deposition transcript that was entered in court in Ohio
Miller filed for divorce on their second wedding anniversary in August 2024, two months after Moreno claims he hurled scalding water at her.
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he → obtain → her
She has also accused him of holding a gun to her head during their marriage and hitting her during a custody exchange.
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She → accuse → exchange
He denies all of the allegations
In another response, Miller claimed that one of Moreno's attorneys had said his new 'girlfriend was good at sucking c***.'
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girlfriend → deny → *
Miller then attacked the lawyer's fiancée, claiming he was merely retaliating to the insult before his own attorneys cut him off.
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attorneys → attack → him
The congressman also conceded that a sworn statement he gave a court about his new girlfriend was untrue, and said he doesn't control his own X account that posted a link to a photo of his two-year-old daughter without clothes on.
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clothes → concede → daughter
In August, a trove of documents posted from his X account after a livestream included a naked photo of his toddler, which stayed online for about 23 hours and is now the subject of a federal lawsuit by his ex-wife.
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which → post → wife
Miller's lawyer took the blame for putting the 'intimate' photo of the toddler on the internet.
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lawyer → take → internet
The deposition comes a month before Miller faces voters in Ohio's 7th District, a seat Trump carried by about 11 points in 2024 that Democrats are now targeting.
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Democrats → come → that
Miller's personal turmoil has turned a safe red seat into one of the most closely watched races in the country.
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turmoil → turn → country
Forecasters moved it from solid Republican in May to a toss-up in August, and the last public polls showed him trailing his Democratic opponent.
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him → move → opponent
Ohio's other Republican senator, Jon Husted, has joined Moreno in calling on Miller to drop out.
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senator → join → Miller
Miller stayed in the race past an August deadline to be replaced on the ballot, telling the New York Times: 'Take a hike.
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Miller → stay → hike
After I win by more than my district, don't bother ever contacting me again.'
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I → win → me
The House Ethics Committee announced on August 4 that it is investigating the domestic violence and drug allegations against him, which he has denied, after Miller himself asked for a probe to 'clear my name.'
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Miller → announce → name
The Daily Mail first reported on Moreno's abuse allegations against Miller back in May after obtaining photos showing bruises
Moreno accused Miller of throwing scalding water on her during a heated argument in 2024.
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Moreno → report → 2024
He has denied that accusation
Donald Trump, who attended the couple's 2022 wedding at his Bedminster club, has stood by Miller, calling him 'a good person' while declining to weigh in on the allegations
Oral sex insult
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who → deny → insult
The most explosive moment of the taped deposition came when Miller was asked about remarks he had made to his ex-wife's legal team.
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he → tap → team
Moreno's attorney Brooke Meneses asked whether Miller had told her co-counsel, Andrew Zashin, that Zashin's fiancée was 'not much of a looker.'
Miller claimed his remark was a response to something Zashin had said first: '[Zashin] said that my girlfriend was good at sucking c***.'
'I responded to him and said that his girlfriend is a two-bit...'
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girlfriend → ask → him
Miller went on, before Meneses cut him off with a reminder that it was a 'yes or no' question.
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it → go → reminder
'You guys are savages, and this has been nothing more than that,' he told her.
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he → tell → her
The lawyers traded barbs of their own earlier in the session, with Miller's attorney Larry Zukerman dismissing Zashin as a 'funny little man.
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Zukerman → trade → man
'
'No one's funnier than filing bogus domestic violence,' Zashin shot back, an apparent reference to the protection order petition Miller filed against Moreno in February.
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Miller → file → February
Miller, who can be seen smiling and chuckling during the exchange, cut in: 'It worked just fine, actually.'
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It → see → exchange
In one outburst, Miller claimed that one of Moreno's attorneys had said his new 'girlfriend was good at sucking c***'
Syringe confrontation
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girlfriend → claim → *
During the deposition, Miller was also presented with a photograph that appears to show a syringe that a source said was in the bedroom he shared with his ex-wife, first published by the Daily Mail.
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he → present → Mail
…and 46 more, not listed.
The Aporia
