Major Garrett


Major Elliott Garrett is an American journalist who is chief Washington correspondent for CBS News and the host of The Takeout on CBS News 24/7. He was previously a correspondent for National Journal. Prior to joining National Journal, he was the senior White House correspondent for Fox News. He covered the 2004 presidential election, the war on terror, and the 2008 presidential election, and he is also a fill-in and substitute anchor for the CBS Evening News, and Face the Nation.

Early life and education

Garrett was born and raised in San Diego, California, where he attended James Madison High School. He graduated from the University of Missouri with a Bachelor of Journalism and a Bachelor of Science in political science in 1984. He is a member of Phi Gamma Delta.

Career

In the 1990s, Garrett was a senior editor and congressional correspondent for U.S. News & World Report and a congressional reporter for The Washington Times before joining CNN's White House team in early 2000 and Fox News in 2002 as a general assignment reporter. There, he covered the 2004 election and served as the network's congressional correspondent. He has also been a White House correspondent for CNN and an award-winning reporter across the country for the Houston Post, the Las Vegas Review-Journal, and the Amarillo Globe-News. His articles have appeared in such magazines as The Weekly Standard, Washington Monthly, and Mother Jones.
Garrett covered then United States Senator Barack Obama's presidential campaign. On January 13, 2009, Garrett became the senior White House correspondent for the Fox News Channel. Garrett left Fox News on September 3, 2010, to join National Journal. His final day on Fox News was on America Live with Megyn Kelly. At that time he was also a frequent guest commentator on MSNBC and on CBS's Face the Nation.
It was announced on Face the Nation on November 18, 2012, that Garrett would be joining CBS News as Chief White House Correspondent. He was named CBS News Chief Washington Correspondent in December 2018.
Garrett hosted The Takeout, a weekly podcast about politics, public policy, and pop culture. The series ended in 2025 after eight seasons; in May 2025, CBS announced that The Takeout would be revived as a weekday talk show on CBS News 24/7 beginning May 27.

Controversies

In July 2015, Garrett made headlines when he asked President Obama during a press conference why he was "content" with the Iran Nuclear Deal that left four Americans—Amir Mirza Hekmati, Jason Rezaian, Saeed Abedini, and Robert Levinson—trapped in Iran. The President admonished Garrett by saying, "I’ve got to give you credit, Major, for how you craft those questions. The notion that I am 'content' as I celebrate with American citizens languishing in Iranian jails, Major, that's nonsense, and you should know better. Now, if the question is why we did not tie the negotiations to their release, think about the logic that creates. Suddenly, Iran realizes, 'You know what? Maybe we can get additional concessions out of the Americans by holding these individuals. While other Americans held by Iran were eventually released, Levinson died while in Iranian custody.

Personal life

Garrett is married to Lara Brown and lives in Washington, D.C.