Defense Secretary Pete Hegesth is itching to fire Army Secretary Dan Driscoll—a move that could open up the job for Hegseth’s spokesperson and close ally, Sean Parnell.
Hegseth on Thursday fired Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George amid reported “paranoia” that Driscoll could be his job, current and former Trump administration officials told the New York Post.
Hegseth has been called off from firing Driscoll himself, a source close to the Trump administration claimed.
“[Hegseth] has got a big conflict with Driscoll. And he’s been told by the White House he can’t fire Driscoll, at least for the moment,” this person said.
“[Hegseth] is very concerned about being fired and he knows that Driscoll is one of the top contenders, or a natural contender, to succeed him. So what Pete has been doing is taking anyone he perceives to be close with Driscoll and going after them. And this is the latest and most spectacular [example] of that.”
With Driscoll out of the picture, Parnell—whose background bears a striking resemblance to Hegseth’s—could be a prime contender for the job.
Like the fiery Pentagon boss, Parnell, 44, served in the Army in the Afghanistan War, and Parnell was senior adviser at Concerned Veterans for America when Hegseth was leading it.
Parnell is “pushing himself” to succeed Driscoll if he is fired, one Trump administration claimed.
Meanwhile, a Pentagon official told the Post, “It wouldn’t be out of line to speculate that Sean would be considered as a successor as he is one of the highest profile Army veterans serving at the top of [the] department right now.”
But this official went on to say that Parnell was not advocating for himself to replace Driscoll.
“Anyone claiming Sean’s pushing himself to be secretary of the Army is an obvious outsider spewing nonsense. Every senior leader in the department knows Sean is laser-focused on his current role,” they said.
An Army official told the Post that “it’s very normal to think that Sean Parnell has a shot to be the successor to Driscoll if Driscoll were to leave,” calling Parnell a “humble leader.”
When reached for comment, Parnell skirted talk about his own future.
“Secretary Hegseth maintains excellent working relationships with the secretaries of every military service branch, including Army Secretary Dan Driscoll,” he told the Daily Beast.
A senior Defense Department official also told the Daily Beast: “Sean is focused on the job he has now, as is Army Secretary Driscoll. It wouldn’t be out of line to speculate that Sean would be considered as a successor, as he is one of the highest profile Army veterans serving at the top of Department right now, but both men are focused on serving the President and doing the job they have now.”
The Daily Beast has also reached out to the White House for comment.
Parnell ran two failed campaigns for office in a career marred by personal issues.
In 2020, Parnell lost a Pennsylvania House race—and the following year dropped out of that state’s senate race—amid accusations of spousal and child abuse by his estranged wife, Laurie Snell.
In court, Snell testified that Parnell choked her and struck one of their children, leaving a welt. She also said Parnell once punched a closet door, which then bruised the face of one of their children. Parnell then told the child it was their fault, according to Snell.
Snell also testified that Parnell had once left her on the side of the road without a vehicle and told her to “go get an abortion.”
Parnell denied these claims, testifying that he “never raised a hand in anger toward my wife or any of our three children.”
