Johnson says he supports Max Miller’s reelection bid: ‘Great member of Congress’

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) on Monday expressed his support for Rep. Max Miller’s reelection campaign as the Ohio Republican faces allegations of domestic violence from his ex-wife.

“He has been a great member of Congress,” Johnson told CNN’s Manu Raju. “He has some issues in his personal life he’s working through. The House Ethics Committee is looking into that and any implications it may have.”

The GOP leader added that he will “let due process play out” in the investigation.

The House Ethics Committee announced in August that it had opened a probe into allegations that Miller “may have engaged in domestic violence and abuse or illegal drug use” in violation of the chamber’s conduct code.

Miller’s ex-wife, Emily Moreno, accused the lawmaker of hurling scalding hot water at her, holding a gun to her head and breaking their daughter’s collarbone . Miller and Moreno divorced last year and have been engaged in a custody battle for their 2-year-old child.

The incumbent has repeatedly denied these accusations and sued his ex-wife for defamation in May. He later said he filed his own paperwork to open an ethics investigation to “clear” his name.

Several Republicans have urged the Ohio lawmaker to resign from Congress and drop his bid for a third term, including Miller’s former father-in-law, Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio).

The senator said last month that his family had gone through “the seventh level of hell” during the custody battle and called on Miller to “seek professional help to end the clear pattern of abuse he has left in his wake.”

“My daughter lives in constant fear of this man, not like something that’s existential, but deeply in her heart, she fears what this guy is capable of,” Moreno continued. “You can’t fathom what that makes me feel like when the dad’s number one job is to protect your kids.”

He added, “This has been brutal, beyond comprehension.”

Cook Political Report shifted Miller’s seat, in Ohio’s 7th Congressional District, from “likely Republican” to “toss up” last month.