Here’s some big news today out of Pennsylvania:
That’s right, this guy is leading the GOP primary:
Here’s the latest news on Parnell:
Senate candidate Sean Parnell on Monday flatly denied his wife’s most devastating accusations of abuse, testifying under oath that he never choked her or pinned her down, never left her on the side of the road or told her to get an abortion and did not violently strike their children.
“Did you ever choke your wife?” Parnell’s attorney asked during a custody hearing.
“Never,” Parnell said. He gave similarly unequivocal answers to questions about other allegations raised by his estranged wife, Laurie Snell. “It just wasn’t a good relationship,” he said.
Asked if he ever got “physical” with his wife, Parnell answered: “Never.”
Parnell’s attorney sought to undercut Snell’s credibility a week after she leveled searing abuse accusations — also under oath — as the couple struggle for primary custody of their three children and as Parnell, seen by some as the Republican front-runner, tries to keep his campaign for Senate viable.
His lawyer noted that Snell filed at least two court filings after the alleged abuse incidents without mentioning them. One included 17 paragraphs explaining her grievances in their custody fight, but “no allegations whatsoever” of violence and “not one allegation of a safety concern for the children,” said Parnell’s attorney, Kristen Batson Eberle.
The testimony Monday, including cross-examination of Snell and direct questioning of Parnell for the first time, marked the candidate’s first chance to formally rebut his wife’s accusations in court. They came after a week in which a cloud gathered over his political future, and as he, his campaign, and his lawyers sought to disprove or discredit the accusations against him.
Last week 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.” She also accused Parnell of hitting and screaming at their children, aged 8 to 12.
Here’s some more news:
In the last two weeks, the Parnell campaign -- already endorsed by former President Donald Trump -- has canceled two fundraising events, according to two people familiar with the events. One of those events, a virtual call last Friday pitched to donors as a forum for asking Parnell anything, was abruptly canceled that morning, just days after the first day of the custody trial.
In addition, some advisers and staff have said they are considering resigning from their roles with the campaign, those same two people told CNN.
Multiple Republicans told CNN that donors have grown increasingly concerned with Parnell's bid since a rival campaign first revealed details about his ongoing messy divorce and custody cases, which have dragged on for years, in September.
"I think it's safe to say the donors have all fled," one Republican donor in Pennsylvania told CNN. "These are really difficult accusations for a lot of people to look past."
Days after Trump endorsed Parnell on September 1, Philadelphia-area Republican Jeff Bartos published on a website run by his campaign documents showing that Snell was granted two temporary protection-from-abuse orders against him, in 2017 and 2018, both of which were later expunged.
A super PAC supporting Bartos used the documents in a campaign ad, bringing the legal fight into the open just weeks before the custody trial was to begin on November 1.
Here’s some more context:
Republican U.S. Senate candidate Sean Parnell on Tuesday vehemently denied that a photograph purporting to show a handprint-shaped welt on a child’s back was of his child.
“That’s not a picture of my (child),” Parnell repeated twice.
The testimony came during cross-examination Tuesday during his custody trial. Both he and his estranged wife, Laurie Snell, are seeking primary custody of their children, ages 12, 11 and 8.
The trial, before Senior Judge James Arner, concluded Tuesday afternoon. Arner said he was not prepared to rule from the bench and will review the exhibits and testimony before issuing a written opinion and order as soon as he is able.
Parnell spent less than an hour on cross-examination Tuesday, never wavering from testimony on Monday when he denied allegations by Snell that he had ever struck her or their children, or that he had ever asked her to have an abortion.
Snell’s attorney, Jill Sinatra, who had previously admitted a photograph of the welt, showed Parnell a poster-sized blow-up of the picture as she asked him questions about the allegation that Parnell struck one of their children in the back in early 2018, leaving the mark.
“I denied that the incident ever happened in the first place,” Parnell said.
As she continued to ask questions, Sinatra asked Parnell if he recognized the background of the photo as being the child’s bedroom.
“I can’t tell what color that is,” he said.
“Is there something wrong with your vision? You can’t tell that that’s a wall and baseboard? Mr. Parnell, come on,” she said, prompting an objection by Parnell’s attorney, Kristen Eberle.
Just going to leave this here:
Meanwhile, while Parnell is in court, Fetterman is out siding with teachers:
Teachers in the Scranton School District continue their strike while waiting for another negotiation session with district officials.
The Scranton strike is grabbing state and national attention and now Lieutenant Governor John Fetterman is joining the picket line.
Fetterman joined the teachers for about an hour outside the district’s administration building.
Lieutenant Governor John Fetterman was also joined by American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten who supported the teachers on the picket line Tuesday morning.
2022 is already shaping up to be a big year in Pennsylvania but there’s still one race this year that’s yet to be called. Received this e-mail today from the Pennsylvania Democratic Party:
As the last votes are tabulated and certified, we're increasingly confident that Judge Lori Dumas has flipped a Republican seat on Pennsylvania's Commonwealth Court! But the margin is extremely tight, and it's likely we'll need to win a statewide recount.
A recount can be an ugly, costly process — especially when the opposition is eager to toss legal votes. We only have a few days to build a massive team of election lawyers and observers to protect Lori's lead.
We urgently need resources to win this recount. If you're able, please rush a $20 donation to hire election lawyers, recruit recount observers, and protect Lori's win!
Here's the status of this race as I write to you:
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1) Judge Dumas is likely the only 2021 candidate to flip a statewide seat in Pennsylvania — netting Dems +1 judge on state courts this year!
2) Judge Dumas currently leads her opponent by roughly 12,500 votes statewide. That's only 1/4 of a percentage point.
3) It could cost us six-figures to recruit/train recount observers and fight GOP attempts to disqualify valid votes. |
If you support Lori Dumas and believe that every vote must count, please chip in to help PA Democrats prevail in an expensive statewide recount!
Thank you,
Jason R. Henry
Executive Director
PA Democratic Party
Click here to donate to Judge Dumas’ recount efforts.
Democracy and Health are on the ballot next year and we need to get ready to keep Pennsylvania Blue. Click below to donate and get involved with these Pennsylvania Democrats campaigns:
Governor
Josh Shapiro for Governor
U.S. Senate
Conor Lamb
John Fetterman
Val Arkoosh
Malcolm Kenyatta
Pennsylvania Courts
Lori Dumas for Commonwealth Court
Lt. Governor
Brian Sims for Lt. Governor
Mayor
Ed Gainey for Pittsburgh Mayor
District Attorney
Larry Krasner for Philadelphia District Attorney
Pennsylvania Organizations
Pennsylvania Democratic Party
Pennsylvania House Democratic Campaign Committee
Pennsylvania Senate Democratic Campaign Committee
Draw the Lines PA
Committee of Seventy
Congress:
Chris DeLuzio for Congress
Eugene DePasquale for Congress
Jerry Dickinson for Congress
Matt Cartwright
Susan Wild
Chrissy Houlahan
Madeleine Dean
Dwight Evans
Mary Gay Scanlon
