CLEVELAND — With family in Israel, Rep. Max Miller (R-OH) was hit head on Saturday with word of the attack on Israel.
"I woke around 5:30 a.m., and my phone was lighting up like the 4th of July. I had text messages, I had phone calls and images and videos sent to my phone."
What he saw unfolding was beyond his belief.
"What I can tell you is that the images that we are seeing here in the United States of America on news networks, local or national, are not really representing what's happening over there," he said. "We had over a thousand terrorists enter into the state of Israel to go into homes in suburbs like where I live in Rocky River or in Parma and to go into our constituents' homes and do barbaric things to their families and to their kids."
Miller is one of only two Jewish Republicans in Congress; he's also the grandson of the late Sam Miller, a significant supporter of the Jewish community in Cleveland and the U.S.
"I've been thinking about him a lot, and his presence right now is sorely missed within our community, and I think nationally, as well as a lot of people knew who he was. He would be irate," he said.
Miller said he's pleased the Biden administration has moved the USS Gerald Ford into the region as a show of strength and said he supports sending financial to Israel. But he also knows those funds can only be allocated once the House chooses a new speaker.
"I have made a selection, and that selection is Chairman Jim Jordan from the Judiciary Committee, but leaving conference last night, I'm not going to sit here and lie to you or lie to any of the people of the 7th District. Right now, the two candidates, and once again, I am all for Jim Jordan, I believe that neither right now has the votes."
He continued, "Remember Matt Gaetz out of Florida, who I believe is a despicable human being, did this without a plan. Eight individuals in the Republican Party upended what 96% of us wanted, which was to keep Kevin McCarthy and to keep on achieving the incremental wins we already were within Congress. This is what happens when you have a deranged individual who wants nothing but to elevate their platform. I'm here in D.C.; we're going to work as hard as we possibly can to elect a speaker to help unify this conference and to work together with the other side of the aisle to make sure that this country is running the way that it should."
He feels the process could drag on for a week or two; time, he says the country and Israel don't have.
"I'm hopeful that we can come to that conclusion a lot sooner rather than later because the world needs us...as you can see," Miller said.
