Trump Appoints Man Accused of Abuse by Ex-Wife to Pentagon Role
President Donald Trump announced on Monday that former Senate candidate Sean Parnell would serve as chief Pentagon spokesperson and assistant to the secretary of defense.
“I am pleased to announce that Sean Parnell will be the Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs, and Chief Pentagon Spokesman,” announced Trump in a Truth Social post:
A Great American Patriot, Sean is a fearless Combat Veteran, who led one of the most decorated units in the Afghanistan War. He earned two Bronze Stars and a Purple Heart, while his platoon achieved an incredible record of eliminating over 350 enemy fighters. During my First Term, Sean was also instrumental helping pass the MISSION ACT, the BIGGEST VA Reform in History.
Congratulations to Sean, his wonderful wife, and their five children!
Parnell was endorsed by Trump in the 2022 Pennsylvania Senate election, before dropping out of the race after he lost custody of his children to his ex-wife Laurie Snell.
Snell accused Parnell of abusing her and their children, testifying in court that her ex-husband had strangled her, told her to get an abortion, and left welts and bruises on their children during fits of rage.
Parnell denied the accusations under oath, declaring, “I have never raised a hand in anger towards my wife or any of our three children.”
“Upon consideration of the credible evidence, I find that Sean Parnell did commit some acts of abuse in the past,” ruled Judge James G. Arner in the case. “However, since the incidents involving Laurie Snell occurred so many years ago and did not involve the children, they are not relevant to this custody determination.”
Judge Arner dismissed the accusations of abuse against Parnell’s children, concluding, “The fact that Laurie Snell has agreed that Sean Parnell can have substantial periods of unsupervised custody indicates she does not view him as a threat of harm to the children. The children have not expressed any concerns for their safety.”
As assistant to the secretary of defense, Parnell will be working with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who has also been accused of abuse by several women.
In 2017, Hegseth paid a woman $50,000 after she accused him of sexual assault. Hegseth’s own mother described him as “an abuser of women” in 2018 following his divorce from his second wife.
