Parnell's Wife Alleges U.S. Senate Candidate Abused Her, Kids

BUTLER, PA — The estranged wife of Republican U.S. Senate candidate Sean Parnell has testified under oath that he choked her, physically and verbally abused their children and once demanded she get an abortion.

Laurie Snell made those allegations against Parnell, who was endorsed by former President Donald Trump, during divorce and custody proceedings for their three children Monday in Butler County Court. Parnell, a suburban Pittsburgh resident, issued a statement following the hearing denying the accusations.

Among the accusations detailed in The Philadelphia Inquirer, Snell testified that:

• Parnell once tried to choke her on a couch and was strangling her until she bit him to get free.

• Parnell once slapped one child so hard that fingerprint-shaped welts were left through the back of the child's T-shirt.

• Parnell momentarily forced her out of their vehicle on a highway during a 2008 Thanksgiving trip after demanding she get an abortion.

• Parnell often lashed out at her and their children in insult- and obscenity-laden tirades.

The Parnell statement after the hearing said that he looks forward to refuting what he termed "baseless allegation" when he testifies next week in the proceedings.

"Let me emphatically state: I have never raised a hand in anger towards my wife or any of our three children," he said. "What happened today in court was not justice, nor did it have any basis in fact or truth."

Trump in September endorsed Parnell, a Fox News contributor, U.S. Army veteran and author, for Pennsylvania's upcoming U.S. Senate seat vacancy. Incumbent Republican Sen. Pat Toomey is not seeking re-election.

Parnell "will make Pennsylvania very proud," Trump said at the time.

With control of the Senate possibly riding on who is elected as his successor, the Senate campaign is expected to be one of the most highly competitive and closely watched races in the nation.

Trump also has endorsed Herschel Walker in a U.S. Senate race in Georgia. Walker’s ex-wife took out a protective order against him in 2005, alleging threatened to shoot and kill her, according to an Associated Press report this summer. CNN reported in September that a Texas woman in 2002 accused Walker of threatening and stalking her.

Walker, a former NFL player, has denied the allegations.

Parnell's personal life already was under scrutiny even before Snell's testimony. Jeff Bartos, another Republican candidate for the Senate seat, has criticized Parnell over temporary protection orders issued against him in 2017 and 2018. Neither of those orders became permanent and both have been expunged.

The latest allegations have caused at least one prominent Pennsylvania Republican to call on Parnell to drop out of the race. Former U.S. Rep. Ryan Costello of Chester County stated on Twitter Monday that Parnell "would lose to a golden retriever by double digits...he's a disaster of a candidate."

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