Leo Pulls the Plug — Responsibility Bounced Up to the President
Plot Beats
The narrative micro-steps within this event
Leo dismisses the staff, prompting Josh to promise improvement, which Leo redirects toward the President.
Who Was There
Characters present in this moment
Not present; implied reputational damage and marginalization.
Referenced as the withdrawn nominee whose transcript and controversy triggered the crisis; he functions here as the immediate cause of political damage but does not appear.
- • None shown in scene; he is a passive catalyst of administration trouble
- • He serves to focus staff on damage control
- • Not portrayed; assumed to have held firm law-and-order views that became politically toxic
- • His prior statements have outsized public consequence
Contrite and anxious beneath a pragmatic exterior; eager to fix mistakes and shield staff from fallout.
Josh promises 'we're going to do better' to Leo, then pulls Sam aside, admits he was wrong, and reveals Donna's security-related problem—taking immediate ownership and moving to action by making phone calls.
- • To reassure leadership that the team will improve messaging and tactics
- • To contain and resolve Donna's credential crisis before it becomes a larger scandal
- • That mistakes by staff can and should be personally managed by senior aides
- • That rapid, discreet action can blunt institutional damage
Wry and defensive on the surface, masking discomfort and a real sense of personal and professional vulnerability.
C.J. opens the scene with an uneasy observation, produces the '365 in Media' prayer card to deflect and make light of the mood, and attempts framing to blunt the blow of the withdrawal while revealing shear defensiveness.
- • To deflect tension by using humor and an odd anecdote
- • To signal she's still connected to constituencies and aware of optics
- • That framing and optics matter to blunt political damage
- • That humor can be used as a shield against personal attack
Concerned and practical — he recognizes the stakes and wants to move to solutions rather than dwell on blame.
Sam listens, offers pragmatic asides ('Well, at least it's behind us'), engages in later corridor conversation with Josh about admissions of error and practical next steps.
- • To understand the political fallout and its implications
- • To help pivot the team toward tactical corrective measures
- • That honest acknowledgement eases internal tension
- • That political damage can be mitigated through focused strategy
Subdued solidarity — outward calm that conceals irritation and a belief that the team must own responsibility.
Toby responds minimally, endorsing team solidarity ('We will') and allowing C.J.'s levity, then absorbs Leo's rebuke without escalation—he remains the quiet conscience and tactical bedrock in the room.
- • To reassure colleagues and maintain team unity
- • To prepare for blunt messaging work that will follow
- • That internal cohesion is necessary to survive political crises
- • That substance (policy/message) must follow once morale is steadied
Implied political pressure and isolation; the President is the locus of responsibility but not present to defend or explain.
Referenced by Leo as the decision-maker who withdrew Rooker's nomination; his political standing and approval numbers are the stakes being discussed rather than actions taken on-screen.
- • To limit further damage to administration standing (implied)
- • To reassert leadership credibility after the nomination misstep (implied)
- • That executive decisions carry political costs
- • That withdrawal may be necessary to preserve larger priorities
Sheepish but upbeat — embarrassed by the mistake yet determinedly optimistic and socially buoyant to defuse awkwardness.
Donna appears in the bullpen smiling despite having her credentials revoked; she lightens the mood with banter toward Josh and Michael, disarming the technical seriousness of her situation with upbeat bravado.
- • To downplay her error and avoid becoming a public liability
- • To maintain normalcy and her working relationships despite sanctions
- • That a positive attitude can soften managerial ire
- • That she can rely on Josh to advocate for her
Professional and alarmed in function — presents facts that require administrative action without dramatics.
Mentioned by Josh as the security official who visited to report that Donna's magazine remark 'struck a little close to home' and that an investigation is warranted; not on-screen but causally central to Donna's credential revocation.
- • To protect classified or sensitive security information
- • To trigger appropriate investigative protocols
- • That even inadvertent public remarks can compromise security
- • That institutional security must be enforced promptly
Matter-of-fact and neutral — functions as a procedural anchor rather than an emotional actor.
Michael Gordon sits with Donna at her desk, positioned as both colleague and procedural link to security processes; he is matter-of-fact and quietly supportive in public-facing moments.
- • To support Donna personally while respecting institutional procedures
- • To maintain professional discretion about the security inquiry
- • That protocol must be followed even if the human element complicates matters
- • That solidarity among staff can coexist with procedural enforcement
Controlled anger and disappointment; fiercely pragmatic, he refuses sentimental bandaging and forces accountability.
Leo enters from the Oval; announces the withdrawal and reads the administration's 'report card'—polls and minority support declines—then dismisses the staff and rebukes their attempts at reassurance, insisting responsibility sits higher up.
- • To ensure responsibility is placed where it belongs—on the President
- • To cut through performative reassurance and focus on real damage control
- • That political damage must be acknowledged candidly, not sugar-coated
- • That senior leadership (the President) must accept ultimate responsibility
Objects Involved
Significant items in this scene
Leo uses sheets—implicitly the 'report card'—to deliver stark polling data aloud: approval ratings, leadership perception, and African-American support declines. The pages function as authoritative evidence that converts abstract political anxiety into concrete, quantifiable damage.
The office phone is implied as the practical tool for immediate crisis coordination: after the poll readout and Donna revelation, Josh declares he is 'making phone calls.' The phone represents rapid outreach to allies and security contacts to mitigate fallout.
Donna's teen-magazine interview is the vector of the security problem: an offhand line about a missile silo became public and triggered an NSA inquiry. Narratively, the magazine turns a casual gaffe into a tangible administrative consequence.
The alleged missile silo on White House grounds is referenced as the substantive security detail that made Donna's remark dangerous. Whether an actual silo or an intelligence-collection installation, the object functions as the linchpin that turns gossip into a national-security issue.
Donna's White House credentials are cited as revoked by security authorities in response to her published remarks. They operate as the immediate sanction and visible manifestation of institutional consequences for a seemingly minor on-the-record comment.
Location Details
Places and their significance in this event
Josh's bullpen is the work-floor setting where Donna is visibly affected by the credential revocation; it contrasts the Oval's authority with everyday workplace human consequences.
The Northwest Lobby is where Josh pauses to process the implications of Donna's reported security problem; it serves as a brief reflective node in his motion from the Oval to the bullpen.
Organizations Involved
Institutional presence and influence
The Staff Secretary's Office is represented via Michael Gordon, who functions as the administrative pro linking Donna's bullpen presence to security and credential procedures; the office anchors procedural response to the alleged leak.
The informal body of White House and campaign staffers is the collective that absorbs Leo's rebuke and mobilizes—through promises of 'we will'—to repair political damage; they are the operational force expected to execute remedial messaging.
365 in Media functions as a cultural antagonist in the scene—its prayer card is used by C.J. to illustrate hostile constituencies mobilizing against media figures and administration voices, heightening the sense of moral/political assault.
Evangelicals are cited as a constituency whose prayer list includes C.J.; their mention quantifies part of the political fallout and indicates a demographic whose support (or hostility) materially affects the administration's standing.
The New York Times Editorial Board is invoked as a powerful media institution on C.J.'s 'list,' symbolizing mainstream media backlash and the shaping of elite public opinion that compounds the administration's polling collapse.
Narrative Connections
How this event relates to others in the story
"The political fallout from Rooker's withdrawal drives Bartlet's later decision to reallocate funds and accept the mistake."
"The political fallout from Rooker's withdrawal drives Bartlet's later decision to reallocate funds and accept the mistake."
"The political fallout from Rooker's withdrawal drives Bartlet's later decision to reallocate funds and accept the mistake."
Key Dialogue
"LEO: "The President has withdrawn Rooker's name from nomination.""
"JOSH: "We're going to do better for you, boss.""
"LEO: "Do better for him.""