A United States senator has demanded that Congressman Max Miller resign from the House of Representatives over abuse allegations made by the congressman's ex-wife, saying he fears for the welfare of his granddaughter.
The senator, who describes Mr Miller as his former son-in-law, called on the congressman to step down after his daughter accused Mr Miller of threatening her with a gun and injuring their daughter.
Mr Miller has denied the claims made by his ex-wife. The denial means the allegations are now the subject of a direct dispute between the congressman and the senator's daughter, with the senator firmly backing his daughter and publicly calling for Mr Miller to leave Congress.
The allegations are personal as well as political. Because the senator is the grandfather of the child involved, he is not speaking merely as a political figure; he is speaking as a member of the same family. He said he fears for his granddaughter, and that concern is central to his demand for resignation.
According to the claims made by Mr Miller's ex-wife, the alleged behaviour involved a gun and an injury to the couple's daughter. The senator made clear that he believed the matter was serious enough to make Mr Miller unfit to sit in the House of Representatives.
The demand creates a situation in which a sitting congressman is facing a public resignation call from a senator who is also his former father-in-law, and the dispute turns on allegations of abuse within his own family. The senator has used the word «dangerous» to describe Mr Miller, while Mr Miller has denied the claims.
The senator's intervention also puts the focus on the couple's daughter. The granddaughter he says he fears for was, according to the allegations, injured by Mr Miller. That allegation is at the centre of the senator's demand, although Mr Miller has denied it.
Beyond the resignation demand, the senator has spoken directly about the allegations. His stated fear for his granddaughter underlines the seriousness of his concern.
It remains to be seen whether the resignation call will affect Mr Miller's position. The senator has made his stance clear by demanding that Mr Miller leave Congress. Mr Miller, for his part, denies the allegations, and the dispute therefore remains unresolved, with the senator pressing for resignation and the congressman insisting the claims are false.
With the congressman denying the claims, there is no immediate sign that the senator's demand will be met. The senator's decision to speak openly about a family matter involving a sitting member of Congress means the allegations are now firmly in the public domain.
