Senate Parliamentarian Does Not Appear at Democratic Leadership Meeting

UPDATE: Alan Frumin, the Senate Parliamentarian, did NOT attend a bicameral Democratic leadership conclave in the Speaker's Office Wednesday, as we reported below. FOX regrets the error.

Alan Frumin, the Senate Parliamentarian, and arguably the most-powerful person now in Washington, has joined a bicameral Democratic leadership conclave in the Speaker's Office. He was seen entering the meeting on the House side of the Capitol.

White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel is also here.

Frumin is the umpire in charge of determining what items can be considered under the reconcilation process in the Senate. Reconcilation does not permit the consideration of non-budgetary items. That's vexing for Democrats, because it does not allow them to put "policy" items like abortion in the Senate bill.

Frumin carries great weight on deciding what is in or out of the bill. In fact, Republicans fired the last parliamentarian, Bob Dove, when he failed to rule in the GOP's favor on reconcilation.