Leo's Mic-Covered Stall and Lunch Gambit Irk Jordan
Plot Beats
The narrative micro-steps within this event
Rathburn shifts focus, asking Leo if he would have supported Bartlet's run had he known about the MS, to which Leo responds with uncertainty.
Leo covers his mic and engages Jordan in a private conversation, deflecting Rathburn's question and discussing lunch plans, much to Jordan's frustration.
Leo openly criticizes Rathburn's demeanor and delays answering, further irritating Jordan who insists he respond.
Leo finally asks Rathburn to repeat the question, only to again respond with uncertainty when asked if he would have supported Bartlet knowing about his MS.
Who Was There
Characters present in this moment
N/A (referenced only)
Absent but centrally invoked in Rathburn's repeated hypotheticals about health disclosures in meetings and whether Leo would have supported his presidential run if informed of the MS condition.
- • N/A (referenced only)
- • N/A (referenced only)
Exasperated and anxious over Leo's risky playfulness under scrutiny
Positioned nearby for private communication, Jordan engages in hushed mic-covered exchange, questioning Leo's distractions confusedly, responding to his lunch suggestion noncommittally, and urgently pleading for him to answer Rathburn seriously amid the hearing's glare.
- • Redirect Leo to focus on answering properly
- • Support his testimony without enabling dangerous stalls
- • Evasion risks damaging credibility more than honesty
- • Leo's personal rapport must yield to professional stakes
Visibly impatient and frustrated by Leo's dodges, pushing for accountability
From the committee dais, Rathburn presses Leo with a pointed hypothetical about supporting Bartlet's run if aware of his health condition, urges deeper consideration when evaded, calls for attention amid the aside, and repeats the full question verbatim to corner the witness.
- • Force a substantive answer exposing potential ethical lapses
- • Highlight inconsistencies in Leo's testimony for political leverage
- • Leo knows more than he's admitting about the MS disclosure
- • Hypotheticals reveal true loyalties and decision-making
Irritated by Rathburn's persistence yet feigning casual detachment to mask strategic tension
Seated at the witness stand, Leo evasively answers Rathburn's hypothetical with 'I don't know,' covers his mic to gripe about Rathburn's snottiness to Jordan, instructs her to nod along, suggests lunch casually, ignores her urgings, requests question repetition, and reiterates uncertainty, masterfully stalling under pressure.
- • Deflect commitment on the hypothetical to protect Bartlet and himself
- • Buy time by distracting and controlling the interaction via Jordan
- • Rathburn's aggression merits retaliation through delay
- • Casual banter maintains his composure and psychological edge
Objects Involved
Significant items in this scene
Leo strategically covers the compact mic clipped to him, transforming it into a privacy shield for his aside to Jordan—griping about Rathburn, issuing play-along instructions, and proposing lunch—preventing broadcast to the committee or cameras, heightening the drama of his covert defiance in the public forum.
Location Details
Places and their significance in this event
The House Hearing Room frames Leo's evasive testimony at the witness stand under Rathburn's dais scrutiny, with Jordan in close proximity for mic whispers; sunlight through panels casts a solemn glow, intensifying isolation and the clash of public accountability versus private maneuvering.
Narrative Connections
How this event relates to others in the story
No narrative connections mapped yet
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Key Dialogue
"RATHBURN: "Well, then, I'd like to ask you this-If he had told you about his condition would you still have thought it was a good idea that he run?""
"LEO: "I don't know.""
"LEO (covering his mic, and to Jordan): "Listen, I'm going to talk a little and you nod and talk a little bit back to me.""
"JORDAN: "Leo, you've got to answer the question.""