Sean Parnell loses custody of youngsters and suspends US senior residents marketing campaign |

PA headlines 11/23/21

HARRISBURG, Pennsylvania (AP) – AP reports … Sean Parnell, the Senate candidate in Pennsylvania, backed by former President Donald Trump, suspended his campaign on Monday after losing a legal battle over custody of his three children, where the judge said he believed the abuse allegations made by Parnell’s estranged wife. In a statement, Parnell said he was devastated by the judge’s decision and planned to ask the judge to reconsider it, but that he could not continue his campaign. The high-stakes campaign in the battlefield state could help determine control of the US Senate in next year’s elections. A Butler County judge’s ruling came two weeks after Parnell denied his estranged wife’s allegations that he had harmed her and the children.

The judge, James Arner, wrote in an order on Monday that Parnell’s estranged wife, Laurie Snell, will have sole custody of the school-age children, as well as primary custody. Parnell will have custody three weekends a month, wrote Arner. Snell was “the more credible witness,” summed up Arner in his 16-page statement and said she could remember details and describe them convincingly. The Pennsylvania Senate seat will become vacant with the retirement of two-time Republican Senate member Pat Toomey, and both Republicans and Democrats have a large field of candidates in the politically divided state.

Parnell’s retreat comes as many in the state’s Republican Party are undecided about their field, including conservative commentator Kathy Barnette, real estate investor Jeff Bartos, and Carla Sands, Trump’s ambassador to Denmark. Also whirling is a suggestion from Mehmet Oz – the cardiac surgeon and long-time presenter of the television program “Dr. Oz Show, ”made famous as the protégé of Oprah Winfrey – that he is encouraged to participate in the Republican primary. Parnell’s withdrawal is a blow to Trump, who had enthusiastically supported Parnell with encouragement from his eldest son in September. Trump spokesman Taylor Budowich said Trump and Parnell spoke ahead of Parnell’s announcement and Parnell had informed Trump of his intention to suspend his campaign in light of the decision.

He said on Twitter that the Pennsylvania Senate race “remains a top priority” for the former president and that “our movement behind America’s best candidate remains crucial.” Parnell’s candidacy was a constant presence in the custody case, with the judge finding in his opinion that Parnell argued that Snell “is motivated to embarrass him in public and harm his political career” while Snell argued that Parnell ” is motivated to maintain a public “. Image and his political career. ”Snell testified that he had endured anger and abuse from Parnell for years, including once when he choked her so badly she had to bite him to break free and another time when he did hit one of her children so hard that welts were pulled through the back of the child’s shirt.

Rather, he found Parnell’s testimony “less credible” and said Parnell was “a bit evasive” and simply denied Snell’s allegations. “After examining the credible evidence, I find that Sean Parnell has committed some abuse in the past,” Arner wrote against Snell. He also believed Parnell slapped the child, as Snell testified, Arner wrote. But, he wrote, Snell had previously agreed that Parnell could have extended periods of unattended custody, suggesting that she does not see him as harm to the children, Arner wrote. Snell’s attorney, Jen Gilliland Vanasdale, said Snell was “grateful that justice prevailed”. When he testified under oath on Nov. 8, Parnell denied Snell’s allegations, saying he never choked or pinned her and never punched any of her children in a tantrum.

Snell and Parnell have been separated for at least three years but had shared custody of their children evenly. Parnell’s story with his wife became a topic in the Republican primary campaign days after Trump approved. Parnell, an eminent ex-Army ranger who led a platoon in Afghanistan, penned his memoir that became a New York Times bestseller. He has also written four action novels and was a regular guest on Fox News programs before running for Congress last year and earning a coveted speaker position at the Republican National Convention. Trump’s approval came in early September when Parnell was a sought-after guest on cable television and conservative podcasts to discuss the Taliban’s takeover of control of Afghanistan prior to the withdrawal of American forces.

Even amid the headlines about the custody case, Trump had backed up his support for Parnell by scheduling a fundraiser with Donald Trump Jr. at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach, Florida on Jan. Trump’s allies have privately warned that his arbitrary approval process – which is often driven more by revenge or flattery than strategic considerations about who is best positioned to win a parliamentary election – could be a headache for him across the board. Trump is very proud of his record of support and sees it as an expression of his political strength, and some advisors have advised him to be more careful in his selection. In addition to Parnell, Trump has supported several other candidates who have faced allegations of assault on women, including former White House employee Max Miller. Miller denies the allegations.

HARRISBURG – The Center Square reports… Pennsylvania Senate Republicans have agreed to pay an Iowa consultancy up to $ 270,000 to investigate the 2020 election results, despite promising to hold back pending legal matters have been clarified in court. Senate Interstate Operations Committee chairman Cris Dush, R-Wellsboro announced that the committee will enter into a contract with Dubuque, Iowa consulting firm Envoy Sage to conduct an investigation into the 2020 election and the 2021 primary. The contract, worth up to $ 270,000 over the next six months, will be paid out of Republican caucus funds, which are taxpayer money.

“I am delighted to announce the selection of such a highly competent, impartial and experienced provider who will work to ensure a fair and thorough investigation into the Pennsylvania elections,” Dush wrote in a prepared statement Friday. “As a disabled-service, veteran-owned, medium-sized company specializing in research, investigation, program management, and communications, I believe they are uniquely qualified to complete this investigation in a way that would increase the confidence of the Pennsylvanians in our electoral system and ours Data is being recovered. ”The investigation stems from allegations of fraud and irregularities in the 2020 election, mainly by supporters of former President Donald Trump, who lost the state by more than 80,000 votes.

The investigation follows a corresponding subpoena asking for voter data from the intergovernmental committee to Governor Tom Wolf. A hearing awaits in the Commonwealth Court on December 15. Jason Thompson, spokesman for Senate President Pro Tempore Jake Corman, R-Center, told the Capital star last month that the committee would not continue the contract until after the trial.