Bunny Dolls and Disturbing Allegations: Max Miller’s Strange CNN Interview

It was the cable news equivalent of tweeting through it. Or trying to.

Representative Max Miller, the Ohio Republican facing a pileup of allegations that he emotionally and physically abused his ex-wife and his toddler daughter, submitted to a live on-air interrogation from CNN’s Jake Tapper on Tuesday.

For Mr. Miller, the 23-minute appearance was a high-stakes attempt to confront the questions surrounding his personal conduct, as he tries to salvage his flailing re-election campaign amid mounting calls for him to drop out of his state’s Republican primary.

For Mr. Tapper — who personally booked the interview — it was an opportunity to pin down Mr. Miller about his reaction to several shocking allegations. And while Mr. Miller remained defiant, insisting he would not abandon his candidacy, he repeatedly evaded, deflected or struggled to respond to Mr. Tapper’s queries.

Afterward, many reviews, even within Mr. Miller’s own party, were not kind.

The congressman cannot keep “litigating this on national TV day after day,” Scott Jennings, one of CNN’s lead Republican commentators, said on the network hours later. He called on Mr. Miller to drop his bid for re-election. “Mr. Miller, whatever you think your future is going to be,” Mr. Jennings said, “put your family first.”

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/05/business/media/cnn-max-miller-jake-tapper.html