Rep. Max Miller (R-Ohio) has made headlines for all the wrong reasons.

The two-term Republican has faced numerous calls to step down from office and drop his reelection bid amid allegations of domestic abuse made by his ex-wife who happens to be the daughter of Ohio’s Republican Sen. Bernie Moreno.

Miller, who has not been charged with a crime, was alleged to have committed multiple incidents of physical violence during his marriage to Emily Moreno and during their divorce proceedings. Moreno told police that her daughter received physical injuries while in Miller’s care, charges that he denies.

As the controversy continues to swirl around Miller, light is now being shone on his political action committee.

Dependable Conservative Leadership PAC, sponsored by Miller, has distributed $112,000 to other committees, including $2,500 donations to the campaigns of Pennsylvania Republican Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-01), Ryan Mackenzie (R-07), and Rob Bresnahan (R-08).

Democrats have jumped at the chance to criticize the three GOP congressmen who are involved in competitive races in the Commonwealth for, first, accepting the donation and, second, not immediately sending it back or to charity.

But it begs the question … how much does the receiving campaign know about the donor and their past/present history? And should that factor into any decision to accept/return a contribution?

On March 27 of this year, no revelations had been made against Miller and his relationship with his wife.

Most of what was known about the 37-year-old Miller that he worked for Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign and was appointed to a position in the Department of the Treasury. He went on to positions in the White House, including special assistant to the president. Miller helped organize the 2020 Republican National Convention and was a Trump negotiator for the presidential debates. A staunch Trump supporter, he has said that the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol was “not an insurrection” and has been a favorite of the president.

Yet four days before the end of the first quarter, Mackenzie and Bresnahan received two of the 17 disbursements from Miller’s PAC for $2,500 apiece. The next day, Fitzpatrick’s campaign also received $2,500 from Dependable Conservative Leadership PAC.

In the grand scheme of things, a $2,500 contribution, while notable, makes little ripple in the overall flow of campaign cash to a congressional campaign.

Fitzpatrick’s campaign raised more than $1.17 million in Q1, while Bresnahan and Mackenzie brought in $1.2 million and $907K, respectively.

But does keeping the contribution say something about your character? Or your campaign’s character?

Democrats say yes.

“Ryan Mackenzie is showing his true colors,” said Benny Stanislawski, communications director for Democratic candidate in PA-07 Bob Brooks. “He took thousands in campaign cash from Max Miller, a congressman facing serious allegations that he violently abused his ex-wife and hurt their young daughter, but Ryan doesn’t care. That’s who he is: open for business for whoever’s willing to pay up, no questions asked. He’s said nothing about whether he’ll keep the Miller money. He must apologize and return the money immediately. Neither Miller nor Mackenzie have any business serving in Congress.”

When asked for a response, the Mackenzie campaign chose not to comment.

The Brooks campaign also pointed out that Mackenzie has already returned a $2,600 donation from Adam Kidan, who was convicted of fraud with the Jack Abramoff lobbying scandal. Kidan, a former Lancaster County resident, also has made 2026 contributions to:

• Rep. Dan Meuser (R-09) – $7,000 (Meuser For Congress, Meuser Victory Committee)
• Rep. Lloyd Smucker (R-11) – $21,808.88 (Smucker Victory Committee)
• Rep. Guy Reschenthaler (R-14) – $5,000 (Guy For Congress, Reschenthaler Victory Committee)
• Rep. Max Miller (R-Ohio) – $15,000 (Max Miller Victory)

PoliticsPA is unaware that any of the above contributions have been returned or donated to charity.

The Fitzpatrick campaign responded by saying it will donate the money received from Miller’s Leadership PAC to charity. Team Fitz spokesperson Heather Roberts asked a fair question with her response, “Do you ask the same question of Democrats campaign contributions?”

Yep. Democrats are not immune to calls to disassociate themselves from disgraced donors.

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro has faced calls from Republican gubernatorial candidate Stacy Garrity to return over $1.5 million received from 2021 to 2023 from billionaire LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman, who is referenced repeatedly in the Jeffrey Epstein files. Hoffman has issued a statement distancing himself from the late convict.

“Stacy Garrity should stop playing politics with the Epstein files. Donald Trump is mentioned in the files over 5,000 times. Is she going to ask him to rescind his endorsement?” Shapiro spokesperson Manuel Bonder said in a statement. 

Shapiro has not returned the contribution.

So what is a campaign to do?

Allegations against candidates can, unfortunately, be an everyday occurrence in politics. The accusations against Miller have not led to charges. But they are tawdry, disturbing and attention-grabbing.

Calculations must be made. Political considerations come into play.

Members of Trump’s political team asked Ohio Republicans last week not to wage a public pressure campaign against the embattled representative, after they became increasingly convinced he wouldn’t end his reelection bid.

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) has so far declined to weigh into Miller’s candidacy as well, saying that he will let the House Ethics Committee process play out first.

Democrats, seeking an opportunity to flip a seat that Trump won by more than 11 percentage points in 2024, are seizing on the news to promote their candidate, Brian Poindexter, putting additional resources into the ironworker’s campaign.

To many outsiders, the logical move is to return the contribution and move on. But on the inside, the machinations run much deeper.