Republican U.S. Rep. Max Miller said Tuesday he was filing paperwork to launch a House investigation into domestic abuse allegations made against him by his ex-wife as the embattled former adviser to President Donald Trump fought to remain in the race for his Ohio congressional seat.
Miller, facing mounting scrutiny over the allegations, said in announcing the move on the social media platform X that he was requesting the probe “to clear my name," adding “I have nothing to hide.”
The second-term congressman, a senior White House aide during Trump's first presidency, is facing a flurry of legal filings by his ex-wife, Emily Moreno, who is the daughter of Republican Ohio Sen. Bernie Moreno, and an ex-girlfriend. House Democrats have called for an investigation.
Trump spoke with Miller on Monday and advised that his candidacy “doesn't look good,” according to a source familiar with the conversation who was granted anonymity to discuss a private conversation. Trump's conversation with Miller was first reported by Axios. Wednesday is the deadline for Miller to withdraw from his reelection campaign if he choses to step down.
Sen. Moreno, who had long been silent on the allegations, spoke out Sunday, saying Miller fails to display “the basic standards of character required to hold elected office."
Miller, who had been endorsed by Trump, has said he will remain in the race for his competitive House district seat in northeastern Ohio, which includes affluent suburbs of Cleveland and rural areas to the southwest.
He had previewed his decision over the weekend when he livestreamed a video defending himself on X and posting a cache of documents related to his divorce and custody cases.
“I’m not dropping out of this race and I’ll win in November,” he said on the platform.
Trump declined to say publicly on Monday whether Miller should exit the race, noting that the accusations against him were “allegations.”
“I know Max. He's a good person. I mean, I always thought he was a very good person. And I'm going to let the families figure that out,” Trump told reporters when asked about Miller during an Oval Office event.
FILE - Rep.-elect Max Miller, R-Ohio, arrives for new member orientation check-in and program registration with Emily Moreno in Washington, Nov. 13, 2022. (AP Photo/Amanda Andrade-Rhoades, File)
FILE - Rep. Max Miller, R-Ohio, walks out of a meeting with House Majority Leader Steve Scalise of La., on Capitol Hill, Oct. 11, 2023, in Washington. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File)
FILE - Rep.-elect Max Miller, R-Ohio, arrives for new member orientation check-in and program registration in Washington, Nov. 13, 2022. (AP Photo/Amanda Andrade-Rhoades, File)
NEW YORK (AP) — Big oil companies continue to book massive profits as fighting in Iran disrupts energy markets and sends oil and gasoline prices sharply higher.
Six of Europe’s largest oil companies posted combined first-quarter profits of $22 billion, more than 40% higher than last year. Profits at BP, based in London, more than doubled to $3.9 billion in the second quarter, the company said Tuesday.
And Saudi Aramco reported a 44% year-on-year increase in second-quarter net profit that reached $32.69 billion, driven by higher crude oil, refined products and chemicals prices.
The supercharged performances from big oil in Europe and the Middle East follow reports of enormous profits from the largest U.S. oil drillers last week.
As the conflict has dragged on, high oil prices have driven up the cost of gasoline, jet fuel and diesel, which has led to higher shipping costs. In the West, filling up the car or buying a plane ticket is costing consumers more. But the situation in parts of Asia are more dire because the region depends more heavily on fuel exported through the Strait of Hormuz. Fuel supplies have run low in some countries, leading to rationing and sporadic closures of schools and government offices.
Despite oil prices falling to their lowest level in three weeks Tuesday, big U.S. energy companies drew the ire of President Donald Trump, who criticized them this week for their outsized profits.
Trump said he’s not happy with Chevron and Exxon Mobil, though energy prices skyrocketed only after the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran in late February, and the Strait of Hormuz was effectively closed off to tanker traffic.
About 20% of the world’s oil typically flows through the strait.
“They made too much money, too much money,” Trump said Monday. “They ought to give some of that back to the public, and they better cut the retail price.”
Exxon Mobil on Friday reported that its second quarter profits doubled to $14.5 billion, boosted by record diesel production. The oil giant, based in Spring, Texas, brought in $116 billion in revenue, up 42%.
Chevron, based in Houston, nearly quadrupled its profits to $12 billion and revenue jumped 56% to more than $70 billion.
On Tuesday, the price of U.S. crude oil fell 5.4%, or $4.36, to $75.98 per barrel. The sharp decline followed comments by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who told CNBC that the U.S. and Iran “may have a deal today or tomorrow to open the Strait.”
Oil prices for U.S. crude are down from around $92 a barrel in late July, but still more than 13% higher than when the conflict with Iran started.
Brent crude, the international standard, fell 4.9% to $83.87 per barrel.
A resolution to the Iran conflict, which has lasted more than five months, could give oil shippers the ability to send vessels out of the Persian Gulf, where tankers of oil and other products have been trapped during the fighting.
Shares of major oil companies are up by around 20% to 30% this year, easily outpacing the 13% gains on the S&P 500.
FILE- A truck enters the Exxon Mobil Baytown Olefins Plant, Wednesday, April 29, 2026, in Baytown, Texas. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis, File)
Young men ride motorcycles along the shore as a tractor pulls equipment from the water and commercial vessels appear anchored in the Strait of Hormuz off Bandar Abbas, Iran, Monday, July 27, 2026. (Razieh Poudat/ISNA via AP)
The per-gallon price is displayed electronically over the various grades of fuel available from a pump at a QT gasoline station Thursday, July 30, 2026, in Greenwood Village, Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
