Sean Parnell tapped to be spokesperson for the Pentagon
Published in Political News
Former congressional candidate Sean Parnell has been chosen to serve as the spokesperson for the Pentagon and the assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs.
President Donald Trump announced the newly created role and Parnell's appointment on his Truth Social page Monday evening.
Parnell, a Western Pennsylvania native and veteran, often appeared alongside Trump when he campaigned in the region last fall, including when Trump was shot at during a rally in Butler County. He was a vocal supporter of Trump's first term in office as well. He has also been a staunch supporter of U.S. Senator Dave McCormick.
"A Great American Patriot, Sean is a fearless Combat Veteran, who led one of the most decorated units in the Afghanistan War," Trump wrote on his social media page.
Parnell, in a separate post on X, said he was honored and extended his thanks to the Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth.
"I accept this position with great humility, recognizing that we are all standing on the shoulders of giants—those warriors who came before us, who sacrificed so much on behalf of a grateful nation," his post said.
Hegseth congratulated Parnell in a post on X and said that the U.S. troops "could have no better spokesman."
Parnell announced he would be running for the U.S. Senate in 2021, to fill the seat vacated by Pat Toomey. However he dropped out before the race started in 2022 despite backing from Trump at the time. McCormick went on to face television doctor Mehmet Oz in the Republican primary for that seat. Dr. Oz went on to lose to U.S. Sen. John Fetterman in the general election.
Parnell dropped out of the race amid a legal battle with his now-ex wife over the custody of their children.
Prior to that, Parnell ran against Conor Lamb in 2020 in a tight race to represent Pennsylvania's 17th district. Parnell lost by about 10,000 votes.
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