Republican lawmakers have remained notably silent about disturbing new allegations against Rep. Max Miller (R-OH), and journalist Prem Thakker suspects he knows why.
Read more Armed guards descend on USPS as Trump’s war on mail-in voting ratchets up
Miller, a 2020 election denier and former Trump administration official who scored the president’s endorsement in his bid for Congress, has come under scrutiny in recent weeks after being accused of physically abusing his ex-wife. He was accused of beating her, holding a gun to her head and throwing boiling water on her, though he’s previously denied claims of abuse.
Zeteo, which Thakker writes for as the outlet’s political correspondent and columnist, did not receive a response after reaching out to House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) and Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) for their reactions to the allegations, and whether they supported his removal from office.
Johnson has been pressed by other news outlets for his thoughts on the allegations, but has largely refused to comment on them.
“I don’t get involved in the personal lives of members and those things,” Johnson told NBC News when pressed on the allegations against Miller.
As to why Republican lawmakers were so hesitant to condemn Miller’s alleged abuse, or even offer their candid thoughts on the matter, Thakker argued that doing so would undermine the entire party.
Read more Ex-Trump official was forced to take over meeting from ‘disturbingly rambling’ president
“Exploitation itself defines the contours of the right-wing. Consider the list of alleged exploiters. Matt Gaetz. Madison Cawthorn. Chuck Edwards. Cory Mills. Pete Hegseth. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Elon Musk. Max Miller,” Thakker wrote in an analysis published Tuesday in Zeteo.
“And of course, at the top of the tree: Donald Trump – a man who has been found liable for sexual abuse, who has faced an array of allegations, and who was dear friends with the world’s most infamous pedophile.”
As such, it was near-impossible for Republicans to condemn Miller, Thakker argued, given that the alleged abuse was not only “tolerated” in the modern-day GOP, but “run of the mill” among its members.
“The impulses beneath [Miller’s alleged] behavior characterize the broad element of the modern conservative movement,” Thakker wrote.
“An element evident in every act they take: from bombing children’s schools, to legislating women’s bodies, to policing people’s very ability to exist, to exploiting their individual victims and protecting one another while doing so. Power for the sake of power. Control for the sake of control. The imposition of one’s will over another, with no fear or expectation of accountability.”
Read more GOP senators burned by Trump ready to blow up White House priority as clock ticks: report
