Republican allies of President Donald Trump are pressing him to rescind his endorsement of Rep. Max Miller (R-OH), who faces allegations of physically abusing two former romantic partners and his young child. Miller, a former White House aide who won his House seat with Trump's backing, now finds his political future in jeopardy as members of his own party distance themselves from the escalating controversy. The situation has drawn comparisons to the recent decision by Democrats to withdraw support for their Maine Senate nominee, oyster farmer Graham Platner, following accusations of domestic violence and sexual misconduct — a contrast that has put Republicans under pressure to demonstrate a consistent standard for responding to such allegations. However, Trump has reportedly struggled to take similar action regarding Miller.

During an Oval Office press conference on Monday, Trump addressed the matter: "It's a very sad thing; 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. You know, those families, I know they're working on it. It's a very sad thing, but it's accusations, and I'm going to let them figure that out."

Miller has denied all accusations, falsely asserting that only his wife has come forward with allegations. In fact, Trump's former press secretary, Stephanie Grisham, has also accused him of domestic abuse. Miller additionally argued that if he had assaulted his then-wife, Emily Moreno, she would not have subsequently offered to cook dinner for him or spent an afternoon at a playground with their daughter. Domestic violence experts note that survivors frequently feel compelled to maintain contact with their abusers for various reasons, and such continued interaction never constitutes an excuse for or exoneration from abuse.

Appearing on CNN, former Rep. Peter Meijer (R-MI) read from a letter written by Moreno's father, Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-OH), who called for Miller's resignation. The senator wrote: "It's been horrific to watch this play out in full public view, all while knowing an innocent two-year-old girl is caught in the middle" and "I hold my breath every minute he has custody of my granddaughter."

"That's hard to skip past," Meijer told CNN's Kasie Hunt. "I mean, I totally believe that Sen. Moreno, again, did not want to bring additional attention to this. This is a private family matter. It's taking place over a custody dispute over his daughter's daughter — not something you want to get litigated in the public eye."

Meijer then explained the political dynamics driving Republicans away from Miller: "I mean, both on the personal family side of the house and on the political side of the house — Congress is not in session right now, but I can tell you, if you're a member of Congress and you are the reason why all of your colleagues are getting a microphone shoved in their face and being asked, 'Hey, what do you think about this terrible thing your colleague is alleged to have done?' — that is not a way to build alliances within a caucus. It's a great way to have folks start to throw you under the bus."

Hunt noted that there are reports Trump has privately told allies that Miller cannot win, even as he maintains public support for the congressman. That gap between Trump's private assessment and his public posture underscores the political liability the allegations pose for the party heading into the next election cycle, as incumbent Republicans may be forced to answer for a colleague whose continued presence on the ballot could become a campaign liability in competitive districts.

"This is such a hard story," Alyssa Farah Griffin, former Trump White House communications director, told Hunt earlier in the same interview on Monday. "Listen, I personally really liked Max Miller. We served together in the first Trump administration. He's someone you'd want to be seated next to on Air Force One. He's a charming, gregarious person. But oftentimes, abusers are that way. And listen, he's obviously denied all allegations, but I would remind folks that before these allegations from Emily Moreno were leveled against him, former White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham also accused him of domestic abuse when they were dating."

She continued: "The allegations were in her book, and they were very similar, and they show a pattern of behavior. And I wish that more people had believed her at the time. And perhaps he never would have been in office in the first place. But it's a tough moment for the Republican Party, because many of us were saying recently that Graham Platner needed to get out of the Maine Senate race because of the allegations against him."

Speaking exclusively to AlterNet about Miller's response to the abuse allegations, Dr. Harriet Fraad — a mental health counselor, hypnotherapist with 55 years of experience who has studied domestic abuse in depth — described his statements as "self-pitying" and characteristic of abusers who seek to avoid accountability.

"This is the usual self-pitying deluge of a person who feels that the real crime is being exposed," Fraad wrote. She added: "He broke her collarbone in child abuse. And this is not only his wife, but it's also a girlfriend who reported violence. And so I don't believe him. I think that he's a violent man who's now a frightened man and is covering it up."

Fraad concluded: "Because the idea is — which you can really get from Trump, who's also a rapist [he was found liable for sexually abusing writer E. Jean Carroll] — that they are not an abuser, but rather a victim. Because they feel that the person who told on them is victimizing them. That the victimization is in reporting their behavior, which they want to disavow. That's a betrayal: 'Keep my secrets. Shut up.'"