Rep. Max Miller Clashes With Jake Tapper Over Leaked Photo of Daughter

Rep. Max Miller tried to explain away the leaked photo of his undressed 2-year-old daughter that was made available on social media for over a day ... but Jake Tapper wasn't letting him have it both ways.

The Congressman from Ohio joined the CNN host Tuesday afternoon ... where Tapper pressed him about a public Dropbox his team released over the weekend in an effort to prove he is a good dad to the daughter he shares with his ex-wife Emily Moreno -- including the sensitive photo, which Miller said was part of a child protective services investigation.

Rep. Miller bristled at Tapper calling the leak "shockingly reckless" ... insisting the controversy had been yanked out of context and turned into a salacious headline.

But when Rep. Miller called the release "awful" and claimed he wasn't defending it, Tapper pounced, saying ... "You just defended it."

Rep. Miller's attorney has since taken the blame, and apologized for the leak ... and Rep. Miller told Tapper it was all his lawyer's fault.

As we reported, TMZ DC caught up with Emily's father, Ohio Senator Bernie Moreno, earlier Tuesday ... and he said Rep. Miller was putting the family through the "seventh level of hell."

The family feud exploded into public view Sunday when Rep. Miller released a video denying Emily's abuse allegations and claiming she has "significant mental health challenges."

Moreno fired back in a blistering statement calling Rep. Miller "a danger" to Emily and saying he should not serve in Congress.