Unsigned Presidential Delegation Letter

Referenced centrally as the unsigned presidential letter customarily delegating power to VP Hoynes under anesthetic; its absence sparks incredulity, blocking DEFCON actions and exposing continuity fragility.

The unsigned presidential delegation letter serves as the pivotal revelation and barrier, thrust into debate by Leo as proof that Bartlet never formalized power transfer to Hoynes under anesthesia, functionally paralyzing VP authority and narratively exposing constitutional fragility fueling command deadlock.

Unsigned presidential delegation letter—customarily signed for anesthesia—becomes debate's crux, with Leo revealing its absence cripples VP Hoynes' DEFCON authority absent 25th Amendment, thrusting constitutional paralysis into crisis core.

The unsigned Presidential Delegation Letter looms as the unspoken detonator of this exchange—referenced explicitly by C.J. as the crisis catalyst the President failed to sign—its void fueling her summons of Sam to Nancy, embodying the razor-edge procedural lapse that could cascade into 25th Amendment chaos post-shooting.

Serves as explosive procedural fulcrum: Margaret reveals its unsigned state as critical lapse before President's anesthesia, proposes forgery to activate Hoynes' succession, rejected outright by Leo invoking Counsel's 'coup' verdict—narratively exposes White House fragility, fueling press vulnerability and staff improvisation in assassination shadow.

The unsigned Presidential Delegation Letter looms as the crisis epicenter—Margaret's forgery jest stems from it, Leo reviews related papers, and C.J. flags its three-and-a-half-hour gap as Danny's exploitable vulnerability, propelling narrative tension toward press confrontation and underscoring procedural lapses fueling White House instability.