Senators spurn Hegseth’s pick amid jockeying for Army secretary nomination

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s pick to serve as secretary of the Army is facing Democratic opposition and a hesitant reception from key Republicans, amid jockeying for the service branch’s top civilian post after Dan Driscoll resigned a month ago.

Hegseth’s choice to serve as Army secretary is Sean Parnell, a decorated Afghanistan war veteran and his senior adviser and chief spokesperson at the Pentagon. The former congressional candidate has boosters within the Pentagon and allies in MAGA circles outside of the department.

But Parnell, a culture warrior in Hegseth’s mode, has received an icy reception on Capitol Hill among lawmakers and staff on the Senate Armed Services Committee, in part over abuse allegations from his estranged wife.

A congressional aide and previous committee staffer said Parnell currently would not have enough support to advance out of the committee if he were nominated by President Trump.

An administration official predicted some skeptical senators would vote to confirm Parnell if the president ends up nominating him for the role.

Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), a senior member of the panel, told The Hill on Thursday, “Right now, I’d be very doubtful that he could be confirmed.”

Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) said it would be “hard” for Parnell’s nomination to succeed.

“His record, particularly the spousal abuse stuff, is just a bridge too far for the vast majority of people,” Cramer told The Washington Sun last week. “Not to mention there are other good people.”

Parnell, who was awarded two Bronze Stars and a Purple Heart for his service during the Afghanistan War, ran for a Pennsylvania Senate seat with Trump’s endorsement, but he withdrew in November 2021 after losing a court fight over custody of his children, which included allegations of abuse by his estranged wife. He has denied the allegations and wrote in 2024 that he had been “vindicated,” and he now shares custody of all five of his children.

Armed Services Committee Chair Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) said he has not counted votes on the panel to gauge if Parnell has enough backing.

“I’d rather not comment until someone is nominated. I don’t see the point of doing that,” Wicker told The Hill on Thursday when asked if he sees a path to getting Parnell confirmed.

Wicker said if Parnell asked for “insight” on his standing within the committee, Wicker would “check around.”

Apart from Parnell, the White House is also considering Marc Andersen — the assistant secretary of the Army for financial management and comptroller — and Derrick Anderson, the assistant secretary of Defense for special operations and low-intensity conflict, The Hill previously reported .

Anderson, like acting Navy secretary Hung Cao, ran an unsuccessful bid for Congress in Virginia in 2024 before joining the Pentagon in the second Trump administration.

Some sources in and around the Pentagon see Andersen, who has held executive leadership roles within venture capital, as a dark horse pick for the role.

A person familiar with Andersen’s work told The Hill on Friday that he is a “patient, persistent guy who cares about the Army and the troops and does not care about the spotlight.”

Three Medal of Honor recipients came out in support of Andersen. But one, Earl Plumlee, who was referred to the New York Post to speak on the Army comptroller’s behalf, sided with Parnell.

“The reason I think Parnell is the better choice is just the vast amount of experience that he’s going to have in interacting with the industry,” Plumlee said.

Parnell has some support among some Senate Republicans.

“Sean is a good friend, a decorated combat veteran, a true patriot, and a fellow Pennsylvanian,” Sen. Dave McCormick (R-Pa.) said on social media last week. “I have full confidence that if Sean is given the honor of serving in this role, he will do so with courage and distinction.”

Sen. Tim Sheehy (R-Mont.), a member of the Armed Services Committee and former Navy SEAL, said the same day that Parnell “has been doing a tremendous job alongside” Hegseth at the Pentagon.

There will be a “handful” of senators within the committee and outside the panel who will be endorsing Parnell in the next few weeks, according to two administration officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to openly discuss the process.

Parnell has support from multiple senior White House officials and some of Trump’s outside advisers, The Hill previously reported .

When contacting the Pentagon for comment on Friday, a senior administration official said Parnell is “100 percent focused on the job he was appointed” to by Trump and Hegseth.

Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), who sits on Armed Services Committee and is a former Navy pilot, told The Hill on Thursday that being nominated for Army secretary would be a “promotion” for Parnell, but he admitted that he does not know much about him.

“I’ve never seen somebody that I can think of that went from communications/spokesperson to running the whole thing,” Kelly said. “We did have somebody go from reality TV star to president, so who knows?”

Hegseth spoke with Trump about Parnell and his possible nomination as Army secretary at the beginning of September, according to one U.S. official.

The White House did not address the conversation, but spokesperson Anna Kelly told The Hill that the president will announce a nominee for the next secretary of the Army “at a time and place of his choosing.”

It’s unclear when the president will nominate a permanent replacement for Driscoll or if Adam Telle, the Army’s current acting secretary, could be selected to stay in the role. Even if Trump did make a nomination, the Senate would be unlikely to take up the confirmation fight until after the midterms.

White House chief of staff Susie Wiles is reportedly leading the process for the White House.

The position opened up after Driscoll, an ally of Vice President Vance, resigned from the role late last month after months of internal clashes with Hegseth.

Army Under Secretary Mike Obadal met with Hegseth to discuss the interim Army secretary post, right after Driscoll resigned but before Telle was picked, a source familiar with the meeting told The Hill. The Pentagon declined to comment on the meeting.

Telle, the current assistant secretary of the Army for civil works, was appointed acting Army secretary four days after Driscoll’s exit, to the surprise of some defense officials.

Telle, who has spent his career on Capitol Hill working for Senate Republicans, has made a good impression in Congress so far, sources said.

Members of the Armed Services Committee were “very pleased” with Telle, according to a congressional aide. A U.S. official told The Hill on Friday that Telle has “welcomed the productive conversations” with committee members.

Telle has been in touch with lawmakers in both parties and met with four Republican senators Wednesday on Capitol Hill, touching on topics including Army modernization, one official told The Hill on Sunday. The senators comprised Sens. Pete Ricketts (Neb.), Joni Ernst (Iowa), Dan Sullivan (Alaska) and John Boozman (Ark.), the official said.

Another U.S. official and a source familiar with the dynamic said Telle “knows” that the acting secretary post is temporary.