Trump-backed Senate candidate suspends campaign amid allegations of abuse by his wife

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Pennsylvania Republican Sean Parnell suspended his campaign in the US Senate on Monday after losing a custody battle with his ex-wife, who claimed Parnell physically and verbally assaulted her during their marriage.

“I strongly disagree with today’s decision and am devastated by the decision,” Parnell said in a statement. “I intend to ask the court to reconsider this decision. In the order, two of the main factors that weighed heavily in the judge’s decision revolved around me as a leading candidate for the US Senate.

“There is nothing more important to me than my children, and although I intend to ask the court to reconsider, I cannot continue with a campaign in the Senate. I am currently 100% focused on my kids, and I want them to know that I have no other priorities and that I will never stop fighting for them.

A judge on Monday granted Parnell’s wife Laurie Snell sole legal custody and primary physical custody of their children, aged 8 to 12. Parnell can still see his children three weekends a month.

Although the former Army Ranger and Fox News personality retains some custody rights, the ruling favors his ex-wife, who has described cases of domestic violence in court. The couple separated in 2018 and previously had shared custody.

Parnell had applied for joint legal custody and sole physical custody, court documents show.

In his ruling, Judge James G. Arner wrote that he viewed Snell as the “more credible” witness and scoffed at Parnell’s behavior on the stand.

Parnell “was somewhat elusive,” the judge wrote. “When you compare his position to Laurie Snell’s statement on the detailed facts of many incidents, Sean Parnell’s position is less credible.”

Parnell entered the primary in May and won the endorsement of former President Donald Trump in September, making him the perceived frontrunner in a crowded Republican field. Now his suspension creates an opening for another candidate to claim Trump’s support.

“Today @SeanParnellUSA spoke with Pres. Trump and informed him of his intention to suspend his campaign in view of the decision of the PA tribunal, ”tweeted Trump spokesman Taylor Budowich. “#PASen remains a top priority for the meadows. Trump & the ’22 MAGA Map – rallying our movement behind America 1st’s top candidate remains essential.

The 2022 Pennsylvania Senate race has major implications for control of the now 50-50 split upper house, with Vice President Kamala Harris in a position to elect the deciding vote. Republican Pat Toomey is not seeking re-election, and the state swing contest is seen as a real blow.

Republican Sean Parnell dropped out of the Pennsylvania US Senate race on Monday after a judge denied him legal custody of his children.

Even before the custody hearing, Parnell’s opponents sought to portray him as anti-woman. GOP rival Jeff Bartos, a real estate developer, called Parnell “ineligible” after revealing that Snell sought two protection orders, in 2017 and 2018, which were later struck down. At the time, it was unclear what Parnell was accused of doing.

During court proceedings, Snell has accused Parnell in separate cases of strangling and strangling her, pinning her to the ground and throwing her out of a car on the side of the freeway while she was pregnant and as he cried out for her to have an abortion. She also testified that Parnell hit one of their children, leaving a handprint, and hit another child with a door, leaving a bruise. Parnell largely denied Snell’s abuse allegations, laughing that they were exaggerations or outright lies.

Assessing the credibility of both parents, the judge wrote that Parnell “was dressed very casually for his court appearances, in jeans and un-tucked plaid shirts, which did not respect the gravity of the occasion. During his testimony, he mainly looked at his lawyers and members of the media at the back of the courtroom, rather than me.

He found that Parnell “had committed acts of abuse in the past” towards Snell, but argued that since they were years ago and did not involve their children, he did not take them into account. counts in its decision. He made a similar decision regarding the alleged episodes of violence involving their children, noting that it had been years since the last reported incident.

Even before the judge’s ruling, Republicans were looking elsewhere for new blood to reinvigorate the primary. Dr. Oz TV personality Mehmet Cengiz Öz is reportedly seeking entry, and Republicans have encouraged hedge fund CEO David McCormick to enter as well.

Democrats have their own crowded backyard, including Lt. Gov. John Fetterman and Rep. Conor Lamb.

“Today’s developments will only plunge the Pennsylvania Senate Republican primary into further chaos,” said Pennsylvania Democratic Party spokesman Jack Doyle. “The infighting among the GOP Senate candidates in this race is sure to intensify, and by the time this GOP primary is over, voters will have understood why no Republican candidate can be trusted to represent Pennsylvania in the country. Senate.”

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