Republican senators said they see no path to confirmation for Sean Parnell, the Pentagon’s chief spokesperson, as a potential Army secretary, complicating the prospects for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s preferred candidate as the White House considers a wider field.
The reluctance underscores the liabilities Parnell would bring to a confirmation fight, including abuse allegations he has denied and his role implementing Hegseth’s restrictions on the Pentagon press corps. Several less controversial candidates are also in the mix as the White House weighs who should lead the Army through an ongoing war with Iran, strained arms stockpiles and an ambitious modernization push.
Parnell emerged as Hegseth’s favored candidate last month to succeed Dan Driscoll, who resigned after months of tension with Hegseth over the defense secretary’s removal of senior officers. But Parnell is already encountering pushback from Republicans whose confirmation votes he would need.“It’s hard for me to imagine that could possibly happen,” Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-North Dakota), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said when asked about the prospect of Parnell making it through the Senate. “His record, particularly the spousal abuse stuff, is just a bridge too far for the vast majority of people. Not to mention there are other good people.”
A Senate Republican aide, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive matter, took a similar view about Parnell’s prospects. “It’s just simply not feasible,” the aide said. “Everyone knows the backing just isn’t there.”
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Parnell has denied the abuse allegations, which his estranged wife made during divorce and child-custody proceedings and that surfaced during Parnell’s aborted run for Senate in 2021.
Sen. Thom Tillis (R-North Carolina) said he would vote against Parnell if President Donald Trump nominates him, arguing he lacks independence and experience.
“I feel like we need less of an echo chamber” at the Pentagon, said Tillis, who is retiring after his second term ends in January. “If we’re going to have to have Hegseth in this role, I’d at least like to have more people around him that are going to be more independent and look around corners. I don’t see Parnell doing that.”
Tillis, who voted to confirm Hegseth, has since become one of the secretary’s most outspoken Republican critics. He also faulted Parnell for implementing Hegseth’s ouster of the Pentagon’s resident press corps.
“That’s already demonstrated a lack of confidence,” Tillis said. “If you’re proud of your work product, you want press to ask you the tough questions and answer them. If you’re worried about it, then you box them out.”
The White House has not named Driscoll’s successor, but two people familiar with the deliberations describe a broader White House vetting process. It’s being overseen by the White House, the people familiar said, and the ability to get a nominee through the Senate is a priority.
In response to a request for comment, the Pentagon repeated its recent statement, saying that Parnell is “100%” focused on his current job. The White House said Trump would make a choice on his own timetable.
“The President will announce a nominee for the next Secretary of the Army at a time and place of his choosing — statements from anonymous sources claiming to have insight into the President’s thinking should be treated as mere speculation,” White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said in a statement.
Kelly also praised Driscoll’s tenure, saying he had advanced Trump’s agenda by emphasizing readiness and lethality, and assisting with negotiations between Russia and Ukraine.
One U.S. official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive matter, defended Parnell’s record and said Hegseth has personally made the case for him to Trump. Hegseth has also discussed Parnell with White House deputy chief of staff Dan Scavino in recent weeks, according to the official.
A separate person familiar with the matter said that Parnell was among multiple names Hegseth presented to the Presidential Personnel Office, which acts as an executive search firm.
The U.S. official said Parnell is an excellent candidate to lead the Army, pointing to his combat experience and his 18 months working inside the Pentagon, arguing Parnell knows how to navigate the department’s bureaucracy and has relationships needed to carry out Trump and Hegseth’s agenda.
“He knows how the building operates; he knows the ins and outs,” the official said. “He knows who to talk to and how to get things done.”
The abuse allegations are a non-issue, the official said, noting that the judge who initially awarded full custody to his wife vacated that order and that Parnell and his former wife now share custody of their children.
Parnell has some Republican support. Sen. Dave McCormick, from Parnell’s home state of Pennsylvania, said Thursday on social media that he hoped Parnell was being considered for the role and praised Parnell’s “great family.”“Sean is a good friend, a decorated combat veteran, a true patriot, and a fellow Pennsylvanian,” McCormick said. “I have full confidence that if Sean is given the honor of serving in this role, he will do so with courage and distinction.”Several other Republican senators this week praised Acting Army Secretary Adam Telle, a longtime Senate aide who was the Senate-confirmed assistant secretary for civil works when Trump elevated him to the acting role earlier this month. “I like that guy who’s in there, Adam Telle,” said Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Alabama), a senior Senate Armed Services Committee member. “He’d be pretty hard to beat. He’s doing a great job.”Cramer said he would be “very happy” with Telle and said the acting secretary has one significant advantage over other potential candidates: senators already know him.“Adam is so solid,” Cramer said. “He talks with them so respectfully, and they respond in kind, even when they disagree.”Beyond his Senate ties, Telle has strong relationships with the White House and Hegseth, which could ease his path to confirmation if he were nominated.
He served for four years as chief of staff to Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-Tennessee) and previously worked for then-Sens. Thad Cochran and Richard Shelby and on the Senate Appropriations Committee. During Trump’s first term, Telle worked in the White House Office of Legislative Affairs, where his responsibilities included national security and appropriations.
Telle played a substantial role in preparing Hegseth for his confirmation, helping to organize mock hearings and facilitating Hegseth’s meetings with senators.
Other candidates for the Army secretary job include Dane Hughes, the assistant secretary for legislative affairs, and Army Comptroller Marc Andersen — who has been reaching out to lawmakers to make his case for the job, according to one of the people familiar with the deliberations. Derrick Anderson, the Pentagon’s assistant secretary for special operations and low-intensity conflict, and Mike Obadal, the Army under secretary, are also possible candidates.
Democrats are unlikely to provide votes to confirm Trump’s pick for Driscoll’s successor because of broader tensions about Hegseth and the Trump administration’s national security policies. That leaves Senate Republicans with little wiggle room to lose any votes in the confirmation process, and that threshold appears to be breached with several Republicans saying Parnell is a no-go for them.Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Arizona), an Armed Services member who voted for some of Trump’s nominees this term, said he now regrets some of those votes because administration officials have failed to show enough independence from the president. “I admit when I make mistakes,” Kelly said. “Some of these people seemed competent and could be their own person. Almost every one of them turned into a yes-person for Donald Trump, and they will not speak truth to power.”
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