Pete Hegseth’s New Press Sec Has His Own Alarming Backstory
Sean Parnell, who will work under the scandal-ridden Pete Hegseth, has previously denied allegations of child and spousal abuse.
Handout/Photo Courtesy of the Committee
Donald Trump on Monday named Sean Parnell to serve as chief Pentagon spokesman and assistant to the secretary of defense for public affairs.
“A Great American Patriot, Sean is a fearless Combat Veteran, who led one of the most decorated units in the Afghanistan War,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “He earned two Bronze Stars and a Purple Heart, while his platoon achieved an incredible record of eliminating over 350 enemy fighters.”
Parnell, 43, will be working under Pete Hegseth, who also deployed to Afghanistan while in the Army. Additionally, Parnell was senior adviser at Concerned Veterans for America while Hegseth ran it.
A Trump-endorsed Republican candidate for Senate in Pennsylvania, Parnell dropped out of that race in late 2021 after it became known that his estranged wife, Laurie Snell, had accused him of spousal and child abuse. Earlier, a judge had ruled that Snell should get primary custody of their three children.
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 in turn bruised the face of one of their children. Parnell then told the child it was their fault, according to Snell.
In another portion of Snell’s testimony, she claimed Parnell left her on the side of the road without a vehicle and told her to “go get an abortion.”
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Parnell has denied all these allegations, testifying that he “never raised a hand in anger towards my wife or any of our three children.”
The judge in the case, however, found that Snell was “convincing,” while Parnell was “somewhat evasive” and “less believable.”
Congressional candidate Sean Parnell greets attendees before President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally at Atlantic Aviation on September 22, 2020 in Moon Township, Pennsylvania.
Jeff Swensen/Getty Images
Prior to his failed Senate bid, Parnell lost a 2020 House race in Pennsylvania to Democrat Conor Lamb.
In a post thanking President Trump after the announcement, Parnell, said he was “honored” and thanked Hegseth “for this opportunity.” Parnell thanked his new wife, Melanie, and “our five incredible children for their unwavering support & love. This achievement is as much theirs as it is mine.”
Trump made two other personnel announcements Monday, one of whom also has a history of multiple election losses.
Trump named Army veteran Joe Kent, who lost to Washington Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez in 2022 and 2024, director of the National Counterterrorism Center.
For the role of deputy CIA director, Trump chose lawyer Michael Ellis, who served in the National Security Council and the National Security Agency during Trump’s first administration.
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