Max Miller (Ohio politician)

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Max Miller
Max Miller.png
Personal details
Born1989 (age 32–33)
Political partyRepublican
Domestic partnerEmily Moreno (engaged 2021)
RelativesSam Miller (grandfather)
Aaron David Miller (uncle)
EducationCleveland State University (BA)
Military service
Allegiance United States
Branch/service United States Marine Corps
Years of service2013–present
RankCorporal
UnitUnited States Marine Corps Reserve

Max L. Miller is an American politician and former aide to Donald Trump. Miller is a candidate for the Republican nomination for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, from Ohio's 13th congressional district, in the 2022 election.

Early life and education[]

Miller grew up in Northeast Ohio and graduated from Shaker Heights High School in 2007.[1][2] He attended the University of Arizona before transferring to Cleveland State University, from which he received his bachelor's degree in 2013.[3]

A Politico Magazine article in 2021, based on police and court records, and interviews with more than 60 people, reported that Miller had a history of aggressive conduct.[3] Miller pleaded no contest to two misdemeanor charges in 2007, after being charged with assault, disorderly conduct and resisting arrest; the charges were later dismissed as part of a diversion program.[2] In 2009, Miller was charged with underage drinking; after he pleaded no contest, that charge was dismissed under a first-time offenders' program.[2][3] In 2010, Miller pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct stemming from a late-night physical altercation in Cleveland Heights, Ohio.[2][3] In 2011, Miller was charged with "operating a vehicle without reasonable control" and operating a vehicle impaired (OVI) after he crashed his Jeep Laredo and told officers that he had had "two to three beers and several shots" the night before and "woke up in urine-soaked pants."[3] Prosecutors later dropped the OVI charge, and Miller pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor, failure to control.[3] In 2018 and 2021, Miller described the events as youthful mistakes.[2]

In October 2021, former White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham, who had dated Miller, stated that he had "been physically abusive" to her, "cheated" on her, and "lied" to her. She indicated that while working for the White House she had told both former President Donald Trump, as well as First Lady Melania Trump, that Miller had been physically abusive to her during their relationship and that he had "anger issues" and a "violent streak."[4][5] Miller filed a defamation lawsuit against Grisham.[6]

Career[]

Prior to politics[]

Miller worked at a Lululemon store in Ohio before joining the Marine reserves in 2013. He was a corporal and made no deployments. In 2019, he was transferred from the Selected Marine Corps Reserve to the Individual Ready Reserve.[3]

Trump aide[]

After initially working for Marco Rubio's campaign for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination,[3] Miller was introduced to Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign by his cousin Eli Miller, then a senior U.S. Treasury Department official.[7] Eli Miller was a senior finance official in the Trump campaign, and chief of staff at the Treasury Department in the Trump administration.[2] After working as a Trump campaign aide, Max Miller became a political appointee in the Trump administration.[2] He was a confidential assistant in the United States Department of the Treasury in 2017, then a lead advance representative in the White House Office,[3][8][9] and then (at age 29) associate director of the Presidential Personnel Office and special assistant to the president in Trump's White House.[2][3] He cultivated a "fratty" atmosphere in the office.[3] In June 2020, Miller was among the aides who accompanied Trump on his photo op at St. John's Church; a month later, was appointed "deputy campaign manager for presidential operations" on Trump's ultimately unsuccessful campaign for re-election.[3] A favorite of Trump, Miller praised him as "the greatest POTUS this country has ever had."[3] He helped organize the 2020 Republican convention and was a Trump negotiator for the presidential debates.[3]

In 2018, Miller was one of several Trump administration officials who were scrutinized over their inexperience and lack of qualifications.[2] Miller's LinkedIn page falsely claimed that he was a Marine recruiter and that he had graduated from college in 2011 rather than 2013.[2][3] After The Washington Post raised questions about his biography, Miller removed the claims and called them mistakes made by a relative, who he said made the LinkedIn page on his behalf.[2][3]

In 2020 and 2021, Miller promoted Trump's false claim that the 2020 presidential election was "rigged".[10] In June 2021, referring to a pro-Trump mob's attack on the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, Miller told The Washington Times that "What happened on January 6 was not an insurrection."[10] In 2021, Trump appointed Miller to be one of 55 members of the board of trustees for the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, an unpaid, part-time position.[10][11] In mid-December 2021, Miller was one of six people subpoenaed by the January 6 committee to produce documents relating to the rally preceding the Capitol attack and to appear for a deposition in January 2022.[12]

Campaign for Congress[]

In February 2021, Miller launched a campaign for Congress, challenging incumbent Republican Anthony Gonzalez in the Republican primary. Miller ran after Gonzalez voted to impeach Trump for incitement of insurrection, arising from the January 6 attack on the Capitol.[13][14] Miller bought a house in Rocky River in order to challenge Gonzales.[15] After announcing his candidacy, Miller was endorsed by Trump and the Club for Growth.[16][17][18] In June 2021, in his first rally since the January 6 attack, Trump appeared in Wellington, Ohio with Miller; Trump praised Miller, repeated falsehoods about the 2020 election, and falsely claimed that the attack on the Capitol several months earlier had been "mostly peaceful."[19] Gonzalez announced in September 2021 that he would not seek reelection to a third term, denouncing Trump as a "cancer for the country"; Gonzalez cited the likelihood of a "brutally hard primary" against Miller, family considerations, and a wave of threats against him as reasons for his choice.[20][21] While he initially launched a campaign for Ohio's 16th congressional district, Miller shifted to running in Ohio's 13th congressional district following Ohio's 2020 congressional redistricting.[22] While the 16th district had a strong Republican lean, the 13th district includes Akron and is much more Democratic-leaning.[22]

Personal life[]

Miller is the grandson of Samuel H. Miller, the former co-chairman emeritus of Forest City Realty Trust, Inc. His grandmother, Ruth Miller, was a candidate for Ohio's 22nd congressional district in 1980. His uncle is Aaron David Miller, a scholar of Middle East studies.[23] He is Jewish.[24]

Miller has been romantically linked to former White House Press Secretary and Communications Director Stephanie Grisham. Politico reported that the relationship ended in 2020 when Miller pushed Grisham up against a wall and slapped her in the face after she accused him of infidelity. Miller has denied the report.[3][25] Politico has detailed other aggressive behavior and past arrests.[3] Miller became engaged in 2021 to Emily Moreno.[3]

References[]

  1. ^ Rapse, Becky (February 22, 2021). "Miller, former White House aide, considering run for US House". Cleveland Jewish News.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k O'Harrow, Robert, Jr.; Boburg, Shawn (March 30, 2018). "Behind the chaos: Office that vets Trump appointees plagued by inexperience". The Washington Post.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s Kruse, Michael (July 28, 2021). "'He's a Great Guy': Trump's Favored Aide Has Troubled Past". Politico Magazine.
  4. ^ Relman, Eliza; Seddiq, Oma (October 5, 2021). "Stephanie Grisham says Donald and Melania Trump were 'totally unfazed' when she told them a White House staffer had physically abused her". Business Insider.
  5. ^ Grisham, Stephanie (October 5, 2021). "Opinion: Stephanie Grisham: I told the Trumps my relationship with a White House staffer had turned abusive. They didn't seem to care". The Washington Post.
  6. ^ Shaffer, Cory (October 6, 2021). "Ex-Trump staffer Max Miller files defamation lawsuit against Stephanie Grisham over abuse allegations". Cleveland.com.
  7. ^ Darcy, Jeff (24 February 2021). "Rep Gonzalez primaried by Trump aide makes international news: Darcy cartoon". Cleveland.com.
  8. ^ "Trump Town: Max L. Miller". ProPublica. 7 March 2018. Retrieved March 25, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  9. ^ Steakin, Will; Cathey, Libby (March 25, 2021). "Trump looks to boost former administration officials in 2022 midterms". ABC News. Retrieved March 25, 2021.
  10. ^ a b c Rood, Justin (August 12, 2021). "On U.S. Holocaust Museum board, some members backed Trump's 'Big Lie' of stolen election". Insider.
  11. ^ Carey, Tyler (February 26, 2021). "Former President Trump endorses ex-aide Max Miller in GOP primary race against Northeast Ohio Rep. Anthony Gonzalez". WYKC.
  12. ^ "Select Committee Subpoenas Individuals Involved in Planning January 5th and January 6th Rallies Preceding Violent Attack on the U.S. Capitol". Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol. 2021-12-10. Retrieved 2021-12-11.
  13. ^ Eaton, Sabrina (February 26, 2021). "Former Donald Trump aide Max Miller announces GOP primary bid against U.S. Rep. Anthony Gonzalez claiming endorsement from Trump". Cleveland.com. Retrieved March 25, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  14. ^ Carey, Tyler (February 26, 2021). "Former President Trump endorses ex-aide Max Miller in GOP primary race against Northeast Ohio Rep. Anthony Gonzalez". wkyc.com. Retrieved March 25, 2021.
  15. ^ Andrew J. Tobias, Trump-backed Max Miller could get new Republican opponent in redrawn 13th Congressional District in Ohio, Cleveland.com (November 2021).
  16. ^ Kruse, Michael (April 23, 2021). "Why Is Trump Going to War Here?". Politico. Retrieved April 30, 2021.
  17. ^ Isenstadt, Alex (March 22, 2021). "Club for Growth takes aim at impeachment backers Cheney, Anthony Gonzalez". Politico. Retrieved March 25, 2021.
  18. ^ Zanona, Melanie; Mutnick, Ally (March 4, 2021). "The one place House Republicans want to be Trump-free". Politico.
  19. ^ Peters, Jeremy W. (June 6, 2021). "Trump, Seeking to Maintain G.O.P. Sway, Holds First Rally Since Jan. 6". The New York Times.
  20. ^ Martin, Jonathan (September 16, 2021). "Ohio House Republican, Calling Trump 'a Cancer,' Bows Out of 2022". The New York Times.
  21. ^ Gomez, Henry J. (September 17, 2021). "Ohio Rep. Anthony Gonzalez, a Republican who voted to impeach Trump, won't seek re-election". NBC News.
  22. ^ a b Alex Isenstadt, Former Trump aide Max Miller shifts to new Ohio district for House run, Politico (November 19, 2021).
  23. ^ Jacob, Bob (March 10, 2019). "Sam Miller recalled as icon who touched lives everywhere". Cleveland Jewish News. Retrieved March 25, 2021.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  24. ^ Raspe, Becky (February 22, 2021). "Miller, former White House aide, considering run for US House". Cleveland Jewish News. Retrieved March 25, 2021.
  25. ^ Exner, Rich (April 26, 2021). "Ohio loses a congressional seat in apportionment from census 2020 results". Politico. Retrieved April 28, 2021.
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