BUTLER (TNS) — Laurie Snell, the estranged wife of Republican Senate candidate Sean Parnell, testified Monday that she went on vacation with him and their children almost immediately after an incident in which she accused him of harming one of their kids, and that a judge denied her a protective order when she raised her two allegations of child abuse in a 2018 proceeding.
Even after the two incidents in which Snell said Parnell harmed two of their three children, she asked if he wanted to watch the children and wrote, “I know you’re a good dad and it’s important that the kids see you,” according to texts submitted as evidence.
Snell’s statements Monday came under cross examination as Parnell and his lawyer had their first chance to counter the searing claims of abuse Snell leveled in their custody trial last week. Parnell, a leading GOP Senate candidate in Pennsylvania, saw his campaign cast under a cloud after Snell last week accused him of choking her, pinning her down and at least twice hurting their children amid outbursts of anger.
Parnell is a decorated Army veteran who received a Purple Heart and two Bronze Stars after serving in Afghanistan.
Under questioning Monday Snell also conceded that despite her accusations and her outreach to child services there were no formal interventions or restrictions placed on Parnell. Her request for a permanent protective order after two incidents with the children was denied by a judge in 2018. And she conceded that she didn’t object to the expungement of that request and another protection request from 2017.
The cross-examination Monday came one week after Snell laid out a tearful account of Parnell choking her, pinning her down and hurling rage-filled insults at her during their tumultuous marriage, including calling her a “whore” and “piece of s—.” She accused Parnell of hitting and screaming at their three children, aged 8 to 12.
In one incident, in February of 2018, she accused Parnell of striking one child so hard he left finger-shaped welts through the child’s T-shirt. In the other instance, in May 2018, she said Parnell punched a closet door in such anger that it flew into another child’s face, leaving a bruise.
Under questioning Monday, Snell said the entire family went on vacation after the February incident. After the May incident she still sought a 50-50 custody arrangement, Snell said under questioning from Parnell’s attorney.
The court broke for lunch before any questions had arisen about Snell’s allegations that Parnell personally abused her.
Snell’s previous testimony, under oath, drew national attention to Parnell’s conduct. He has won an endorsement from former President Donald Trump and had been seen by many as the Republican front-runner in a critical Senate race, one of a handful that could decide control of the chamber.
Parnell last week sharply denied Snell’s testimony, saying it included “complete fabrications” and “flat-out lies.” But he did not specify what was incorrect, and did not have an opportunity to answer the claims in court, or question her account, until Monday.
“I have never raised a hand in anger towards my wife or any of our three children,” Parnell said in a statement last week.
Despite the accusations, Trump signaled his firm backing for Parnell, announcing a fundraiser for the candidate at his Mar-a-Lago resort in January, the newsletter Punchbowl News on Friday
The accusations have taken on national attention given the importance of Pennsylvania’s Senate race. The state’s incumbent Republican, Pat Toomey, is not seeking reelection and Democrats see the seat as their best pick-up opportunity in what’s likely to be a difficult political year for them.
Snell is seeking primary custody of the couple’s children amid a contentious divorce. She made her case in the opening day of the trial last week and for the first half of Monday. Parnell was scheduled to make his arguments starting mid-day Monday and on Tuesday.
Questions about Parnell’s conduct have swirled since a Republican opponent, Jeff Bartos pointed to documents showing that Snell obtained temporary protection from abuse orders against Parnell in 2017 and 2018.
Neither, however, was made permanent and both were expunged. There was no public information until last week about what Snell had formally accused her husband of.
