Donna Drafted to Shadow a Credible Risk at the DAR
Plot Beats
The narrative micro-steps within this event
Josh assigns Donna to shadow Matthew Lambert at the DAR reception due to security concerns about his criminal record.
Who Was There
Characters present in this moment
Exasperated professionalism: mildly impatient but controlled, prioritizing problem-solving over moralizing or lecturing.
Josh moves from corridor to the bullpen and, balancing urgency and pragmatism, assigns Donna to shadow Matthew Lambert at the DAR, framing the order as a favor and emphasizing secrecy and discretion.
- • Satisfy Secret Service security requirements to preserve access to the event
- • Avoid public embarrassment or incident that could create a political problem for the White House
- • Ensure someone trustworthy is on-site without alarming the guest or DAR hosts
- • Security protocols must be followed even if the public explanation is withheld
- • Donna is competent and loyal enough to do an awkward social job
- • Maintaining appearances (access to the DAR and relations with powerful families) outweighs full transparency with guests
Hesitant and uncomfortable: wants to be helpful but resents being asked to lie or perform a social babysitting role under false pretenses.
Donna receives Josh's assignment with visible reluctance and professional acquiescence; she asks clarifying questions about scope and timing and agrees to attend while expressing discomfort about the deception implied.
- • Obey Josh and protect her job standing
- • Minimize embarrassment for Matthew and his date while executing the assignment
- • Maintain plausible deniability so the guest does not feel stigmatized
- • Josh's request is a legitimate White House assignment and must be followed
- • Keeping the guest unaware of security concerns is kinder and less likely to cause a scene
- • She can manage awkward social situations despite personal displeasure
Not on stage — inferred as unaware of scrutiny; potentially vulnerable or embarrassed if informed.
Matthew Lambert is referenced by Josh as a credentialed guest with a prior felony conviction; he is not present but is the object of the assignment and the locus of the Secret Service's concerns.
- • Attend the DAR reception with his date
- • Enjoy the event without being made to feel judged or surveilled
- • Likely believes he will be treated like other guests and not singled out
- • Assumes credentials entitle him to access without additional oversight
Location Details
Places and their significance in this event
Josh delivers the covert assignment to Donna in the open bullpen area — a busy, public workroom where aides are fielding phones and coordinating logistics. The bullpen functions as the operational hub where sporadic private orders are given aloud and absorbed into the day's roster.
Organizations Involved
Institutional presence and influence
The U.S. Secret Service is the proximate cause of the assignment: its clearance rule — that a guest with a felony must be accompanied by a credentialed watcher — compels the White House to staff the DAR reception accordingly. The organization acts through its security protocol rather than a person on-screen.
The Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) is the host organization of the evening reception; its membership connections — notably a host who is the daughter of the ranking member of House Armed Services — raise the political stakes and require careful staffing from the White House.
Emerson College is invoked as the place where Matthew Lambert was a senior when arrested; its mention functions as background that explains the nature of Lambert's felony and why Secret Service flagged him, thereby informing White House risk calculus.
Narrative Connections
How this event relates to others in the story
"Burt's revelation of Kierney-Passaic's concealment of carcinogens is further detailed in Toby's office, showing his commitment to whistleblowing despite personal risk."
"Burt's revelation of Kierney-Passaic's concealment of carcinogens is further detailed in Toby's office, showing his commitment to whistleblowing despite personal risk."
Key Dialogue
"JOSH: "Well you're going. The Secret Service needs us to baby-sit someone. One of the Daughters of the American Revolution is also the daughter of the ranking member of House Armed Services.""
"JOSH: "Matthew Lambert, 26, was arrested when he was 21 and a senior at Emerson. He was arrested for selling drugs and found guilty of a felony and the Secret Service won't let him in unless someone who's credentialed is watching him.""
"DONNA: "I have to stay with him the whole night?""