Max Miller gets more than he bargained for from his demand to clear his name

Photos appearing to show a syringe in Rep. Max Miller's (R-OH) bedroom surfaced Tuesday as the Ohio Republican demanded Congress investigate him to clear his name.

Miller, facing domestic abuse allegations from his ex-wife, conservative policy adviser Emily Moreno, 32, wrote on X that he would file paperwork for a House Ethics Committee probe of himself.

"I have absolutely nothing to hide," Miller wrote. "The accusations continue to change, but my facts stay the same."

The photos, published by the Daily Mail, appeared to directly contradict his recorded claim that he never had a needle anywhere near his bed.

The bedroom image was apparently taken by Moreno inside the home she previously shared with Miller, a source familiar with the matter told the Daily Mail. The image alone does not establish what the syringe contained, how it was used, or whose it was.

"…I can tell you 1,000 percent I've never had a needle in my bedroom drawer…" Miller told Moreno in a recording he released himself, swearing on his "Jewish word of honor," according to the Daily Mail.

Moreno told him she had already photographed what she found.

"First it was weed, then I found needles next to your bed," she said in the recording. "I took a picture of it. You can try to deny it to me."

Miller's account shifted between two recordings he released, TiffinOhio.net reported.

"Nope. I don't have needles in the house. You can come check," he said in August 2024.

"I didn't put that in there, okay? I'm telling the honest to God truth. That shocked the f— outta me," he said in September 2024, no longer disputing that Moreno may have found something — only that he had not placed it there.

Miller offered testosterone replacement therapy — injections of synthetic testosterone — as the innocent explanation, the Daily Beast reported — but the recording told a different story.

"What's TRT?" Moreno asked. "What you told me was you did it several times, and that was it," she added. "…So when I found a needle, I had no idea what the f— it was."

Miller's lawyers told reporters that Moreno had "known for months there was an innocent explanation," according to TiffinOhio.net. The recording does not support that claim. Moreno said she repeatedly asked Miller whether he was still using — and he told her no.

A second Daily Mail photo appeared to show Miller holding a bag of high-potency marijuana gummies containing 2,400mg of THC — 15 times California's legal limit per serving. There is no indication he consumed them or that they were his, the Daily Mail reported.

Hours after Miller's post, the House Ethics Committee announced it was already reviewing allegations that he "may have engaged in domestic violence and abuse or illegal drug use in violation of the Code of Official Conduct." The committee said its review does not indicate any violation has occurred.

The photos surfaced one day before Miller's Aug. 5 deadline to withdraw from his re-election race — the last date under Ohio law to trigger a special election for his seat, TiffinOhio.net reported. He has pledged to stay in.