The West Wing
S2E14
· The War At Home

C.J. Redirects Briefing to Expert Representatives

In the high-stakes Briefing Room under night lights, Press Secretary C.J. masterfully regains control of the narrative by handing off probing press questions to representatives from the Pentagon, State Department, and Justice Department. This deft orchestration shields the administration from direct fire amid the raid's catastrophic fallout—nine soldiers dead, hostages in peril—forcing official expertise to frame the response. It exemplifies C.J.'s strategic poise, buying time while advancing the story's theme of disciplined leadership under moral siege, setting up Bartlet's somber Dover arrival.

Plot Beats

The narrative micro-steps within this event

1

C.J. directs the questioning to representatives from the Pentagon, State Department, and Justice Department, orchestrating the flow of official inquiries.

['Briefing Room']

Who Was There

Characters present in this moment

1
C.J. Cregg
primary

Composed authority veiling the strain of late-night crisis management

C.J. stands firm at the podium, delivering a concise handoff line that seamlessly shifts the press onslaught from her to incoming departmental reps, her voice cutting through the room's murmurs with authoritative precision.

Goals in this moment
  • • Deflect direct White House exposure to raid fallout questions
  • • Restore order and narrative control in the briefing
Active beliefs
  • • Departmental experts can better frame complex military and diplomatic failures
  • • Controlled information flow protects the administration's leadership integrity
Character traits
strategic poised decisive
Follow C.J. Cregg's journey

Location Details

Places and their significance in this event

1
White House Mess

The Briefing Room serves as the high-pressure arena where C.J. executes her pivot, its packed press corps embodying public demand for accountability on the Colombian raid disaster; the intimate night setting amplifies the stakes, turning the space into a crucible for White House narrative defense.

Atmosphere Urgent shadows and surging murmurs under harsh late-night lights, thick with anticipation and hostility
Function Stage for high-stakes press deflection and handoff
Symbolism Frontline fortress of transparency amid institutional siege
Access Open to credentialed press but dominated by White House control
Dim night lighting casting dramatic shadows Crowded with restless reporters and flashing cameras

Organizations Involved

Institutional presence and influence

2
Pentagon

The Pentagon is invoked by C.J. as the first line of expert response, its representatives poised to dissect raid tactics and casualties—nine soldiers lost—shifting scrutiny from White House vulnerabilities to military doctrine in this pivotal narrative buffer.

Representation Through incoming representatives ready to field questions
Power Dynamics Deployed as authoritative shield, exerting doctrinal weight over press inquiries
Impact Reinforces military's role as crisis buffer, delaying political blame
Control the framing of operational failures Project unified national security resolve Tactical expertise and classified insights Institutional credibility in defense matters
Smith College Women's Studies Department

State Department steps into the breach alongside Pentagon and Justice reps, as C.J. hands off questions on hostage perils and international fallout from the botched raid, leveraging diplomatic gravitas to stabilize the narrative amid FARC threats and narco chaos.

Representation Via representatives assuming question-handling duties
Power Dynamics Collaborative ally providing international context, balancing White House exposure
Impact Highlights bureaucratic interdependence in public crises
Mitigate damage to U.S. foreign policy image Coordinate multi-agency crisis communication Diplomatic protocols and global relationship expertise Inter-agency coordination pressure

Narrative Connections

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Key Dialogue

"C.J.: "... Pentagon, State Department and Justice Department who'll continue with your questions.""