The current Senate parliamentarian was appointed by Harry Reid.
Said by Congressman Greg Steube, Checked Updated
- Sources
- 4 support1 context
- Said
- 1 time·
- Confidence
- 85%
The Charlie Kirk ShowAug 5, 2026
The current Senate parliamentarian, Elizabeth MacDonough, was initially appointed in 2012 by Democratic Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, as reported by AP and Salon and cited in a Senator Marshall press release. A 2026 Thompson Coburn post says she still holds the position, so the claim matches the sources and faithfully reflects the passage.
A guest makes this claim. Listeners heard it, so it counts against the post, and on the guest's own record.
What was said
… Now, somehow, some way, we'll have to word it where the parliamentarian will keep it in there. Now, this parliamentarian's a Democrat. She should have been fired when we took over, but we didn't do it. It was, I think, a Harry Reid appointment, but we can fire the parliamentarian, and if she doesn't go along with this, uh, our leader, uh, John Thune, needs to fire immediately, because that's what happened. …
The Charlie Kirk Show · · from the transcriptPost →What we found
Supports. AP reports that Elizabeth MacDonough was initially appointed parliamentarian in 2012 by Democrat Harry Reid of Nevada, when Reid was Senate majority leader.[1]
Supports. Salon reports that the current parliamentarian, Elizabeth MacDonough, was appointed in 2012 by then-Democratic Majority Leader Harry Reid.[4]
Supports. Senator Marshall's 2025 press release states that the current parliamentarian has been in office since 2012 and was appointed by former Democratic Senator Harry Reid.[2]
Supports. A Thompson Coburn post published 2026-08-19 names Elizabeth MacDonough as the Senate parliamentarian who has held the position since 2012, indicating she was still in the role when the post was made.[5]
Context. The Congressional Research Service notes that the parliamentarian's office sits within the Secretary of the Senate's office, and that the Senate elects that secretary on the majority leader's recommendation. This does not bear on who appointed the current parliamentarian.[3]
Sources
5 sources: 1 fact-checker, 2 primary, 1 tier 2, 1 not rated
- 1Senate parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough faces GOP ...apnews.com · fact-checker · cited for: supports
- 2Senators Marshall, Tuberville, & Blackburn Call for the ...marshall.senate.gov · primary source · cited for: supports
- 3The Office of the Parliamentarian in thecongress.gov · primary source · cited for: context
- 4Trump's "One Big Beautiful Bill" runs into a Senate sausage grindersalon.com · tier 2 · cited for: supports
- 5Senate Parliamentarianthompsoncoburn.com · not rated · cited for: supports
Where this claim was made
Said in 1 published post
Checked 2 times
Each check reads the sources again. The newest verdict is the one this page states.
- · latestTrue
- False