"{\move(10,10,190,230,100,400)\fad(0,1000)\fscx25\fscy25\t(0,6000,\fscx125\fscy125)\cH000000\3cH00FFFF}anoXmous" "Look at that, Cashew." "Someone's being a bad boy." ""Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption." "Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamour, and evil speaking be put away from you with all malice." "And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another."" "Do you want me to keep going with this, or something else?" "Doesn't matter to me." "I just like hearing you read it." "Doug, there's something I need to talk to you about." "You said that she was just staying for a few nights." "Her roommate kicked her out." "She doesn't have anywhere else to go." " It's not our problem." " I can't put her out on the street." "What's her name?" " Lisa." " Lisa what?" "You don't have anything to worry about." " Where is she now?" " At the fellowship." "There's a sleepover with some of the kids from the day care." "Does she know about me?" "No, I haven't told her anything." "I have given you space." "I trusted you, Rachel," " and you've taken advantage..." " I'm not kicking her out." " I could have said nothing, but I told you." " I have to go." "She better be gone by the next time we talk." " Sir." " What took you so long?" "I can have a briefing ready in five minutes." "Don't bother." "I had Seth do it." "He doesn't have security clearance." "Well, he does now." "Mr. President, after you." "I'll see you in my office." "Japanese sovereignty is a matter of precedent." "Mr. Prime Minister, my concern is escalation." "Well, I'm asking for a small portion of the 7th Fleet." "We must bring China into line." "Show them that the US and Japan maintain a strong alliance." "Have you reached out directly to Beijing?" "No recognition that the island belongs to Japan." "Well, I'd like to speak to my team and formulate a plan." " Thank you, Mr. President." " Thank you, Mr. Prime Minister." "Admiral, for those catching up..." "Two Chinese destroyers entered waters within three miles of Yonaguni Island here, approximately six hours ago." "See how close the island is to Taiwan." "This is different than the standoff over the Senkaku Islands." "It could have to do with shipping routes." "Or the trade war." "They can't pick on the big kids, so they're picking on the little one." " Do you see that?" " What?" "In the alley, camera two." "All posts, white male, hooded sweatshirt, duffel bag." "Southeast side of Fair St." "Put down the bag." "Put down the bag and place your hands on your head." "Stay right where you are." "Mrs. Underwood?" "Will you come downstairs, please?" " Where's Francis?" " He got delayed at the White House, there was an emergency meeting." " What's going on?" " I'll explain in the safe room." "The 7th Fleet is near Guam?" "Ninety miles north." "We could have ships to Yonaguni in less than a week." "But even sending them in that direction will be picked up by the Chinese satellites." "Well, we have to stand with our allies, that can't be in question." "What if we don't send ships, just make a strong statement condemning their excursion into Japan's territorial waters." "We still have to offer the Chinese an incentive to call back their destroyers." "Whatever overtures we make, I'd like to have contingency plans in place." " Already drafting them, sir." " Cathy, open up a diplomatic channel with Beijing." "See if there's a concrete ask, if they don't have one, let's create a list of options." " Right away, sir." " How about coordination with the Japanese navy?" "Go." "Don't engage with our navy yet." "I want to talk directly to Prime Minister Oshiro and express our intentions." "Former marine." "He showed up at the outer perimeter with explosives in a duffel bag." " And strapped to his body." " Jesus." "We apprehended him, the press isn't aware." " Well, let's keep it that way." " He claimed he was responsible for sending the package of white powder to the capitol." "So this time he really wanted to take me out for real." "Not exactly." "His wife got an abortion last week without telling him." " Oh, my God." "It was me." " Yes, you were the target." "We'd like to keep you down here with us, Mrs. Underwood," " until we confirm he was acting alone." " I'll stay." "No, you have to get back to the White House." " I can work from here." " Francis, I'm fine." "Honestly." "I'm just gonna be in here." "I want you to stick with her at all times." "Keep me informed of everything." "He's almost done with his shift, sir." "I can put another agent on..." " No, I want it to be Meechum." " Absolutely, sir." "As long as necessary." "I'll be back as soon as I can." "It's OK." "Don't go to California." "Mm..." "Be nice to be reelected." "You're gonna win." "Not if I don't give the voters more face time." "When did you get it?" " The Army?" " Yeah." "It's grown since then." "Tell me about it." "No." "Why not?" "I don't want to." "What are you doing?" "Tell me about the tattoo." " That's not fair." " So what?" "You think you can just get me wet and I'll spill everything?" " I don't think so..." " Mm I know so." "Tell me." "I like the pain." " Of the needle?" " Yeah." "How bad did it hurt?" "It hurt a lot." "You like when it hurts?" "I killed a lot of people." "What?" "In the Army." "The pain it helped." "Finish." "The most I could find was some wrangling with the EPA when he opened his first plant, but that was almost 40 years ago." " We need more." "I want Tusk gone." " Doyle and I will keep looking." "If you haven't found anything now, what makes you think you will?" "Maybe we missed something." "I doubt it, but we could try." "You think Tusk isn't planning his next attack even as we speak?" "We've been thorough, sir." "He doesn't leave footprints." "You want to shift tactics?" "The casino." "We go public as soon as possible." "You said that was a last resort." "Seth, you need to find a way to make that happen so it doesn't link to us." "If we launch that missile, it could blow us up too." "Not if we spin it right." " If we keep the focus on..." " Seth." "You're here to listen, not contribute." "I wouldn't have him here if I didn't want him to contribute." "Sir... he's been sitting with this for three hours." "I've been working on it for three months." "And accomplished nothing." "It's time we go on the offensive." " What do you think?" " Ayla Sayyad." " She's already digging into Tusk and Feng." " How close is she?" "She never mentioned a casino, but now that I know what the dots are," "I can see that she's starting to connect them." "The Pentagon isn't talking yet." "I imagine they're waiting on the White House." "I hear there have been regular meetings in the Situation Room since last night." "Let me call you right back." " Hello?" " Hey, Lynne, it's Ayla." " I just sent you a picture." " Yeah, I got it." " What does it mean?" " It's strange, it doesn't make sense." " Tell me. - "Pursue currency" would be the most literal translation." "Or "pursue money."" " Follow the money?" " That could work." "Thanks, Lynne." "I like what you've done." "This sofa, it's new?" " These lamps as well?" " I've made a few changes." "You get so used to a place, the smallest things stand out." "I apologize for not being responsive sooner." "I've been focused on the midterms." "Oh, there's no need to explain." "Mrs. Underwood, you know how much I respect your intentions, but I've thought deeply about this and" "I can't cosponsor the bill in its current form." "Civilian oversight is too extreme a step, but I'd be happy to revisit some of the other less extreme proposals." "You think we're being extremist?" "I want to help with this issue, but this bill goes through..." "This bill is through Armed Services." "This bill has a date on the floor." "Almost every woman in the House supports this bill." " And I can't be one of them." " So you lied to us." "I didn't lie." "I didn't lie." "I..." "I want to help." "As long as we rethink some of the language." "Are you trying to distance yourself from us because of the Galloway scandal?" " No." " Maybe you think it hurts your chances" " of reelection if you associate with me." " That's not it." "It's because I honestly don't believe in this approach." "Do you realize the message this sends?" "The only woman in congressional leadership in both parties, and you bow out?" "If the bill goes to the floor as is, I won't just bow out." "I'll actively fight it." "You never asked my position." "You assumed." "I can't imagine what that position must be." "I've served in war zones, I know firsthand how important..." "We're not talking about war zones." "We're talking about sexual assault." "How about a military commission to review the internal..." "We don't need more studies, we need reform." "Well, let's continue this conversation when I return from California." "I'll be back the day after tomorrow if you change your mind." "I won't, but I hope you change yours." "China was insulted at the notion that we could buy them off." "Do I need to call President Qian?" "I doubt he would contradict one of his ministers." "See if he's willing to talk one-on-one." "You should know, sir, Japan is also preparing to deploy three destroyers and a light cruiser." "They're upping the ante." "Have Ambassador Hines get in touch with the prime minister, and ask if Japan will hold off until I make contact with Beijing." "Yes, sir." "Have you gotten any rest at all?" " No, have you?" " No, not yet." "How's Claire?" "Secret Service thinks it's an isolated attempt, but they're being cautious." "After the Galloway thing and the interview, half the country thinks she's a baby killer, or an adulterer, or both." "But Claire's taking it in stride." "We're in good hands." "That's very frightening." "I can see why you haven't slept." "One of us should, probably the one that's calling all the shots." "No, I can hold out a little while longer." "No, go to the residence, spend some time with your wife." "You'll come back feeling like a new man." "Honestly, it's less stressful here." " Counseling hasn't helped?" " No, it has... slowly." " I got rid of Christina when Linda resigned." " I heard." "It's improved things some, but there's still work to do." "Makes me tired just to think about it." "Well, you probably wouldn't be the first president to get a little shut-eye on one of these sofas." " I was joking." " I wasn't." "Do the free world a favor and get some rest." " I'll let you be." " No, stick around." "You should be nearby if President Qian wants to get on the phone." "I've always loathed the necessity of sleep." "Like death, it puts the most powerful men on their backs." "DC Limo and Bus Rental." "I'm calling from the Adohi Casino's travel department." "We've got a corporate account." "Let's see..." "I'm sorry, we don't have one in our records." "My mistake." "I must've called the wrong limo service." "Thank you." "Missouri Bus and Limo." "I'm calling from the Adohi Casino's travel department." " You're not Darlene." " No, Darlene is out sick." "I'm filling in for her." "My name is Pam." "How can I help you, Pam?" "We've got a flight coming in from China tomorrow." "We'll need some transportation." "How many you got coming?" "I don't have the manifest right in front of me." " The usual?" " That's right." " So a luxury bus." " How many does that fit?" "Fifty-five, usually about 20 come in." "Should be plenty of room." "That's great, thanks." "Do you think it's really her conscience, or because the bill's controversial?" "I don't think she would have threatened to fight us if all she wanted to do was avoid controversy." "I'll talk to her." "I really want this bill to pass." "I know you do, so do I." "We need Jackie more than ever, Francis." "I'm damaged goods, this whole Adam thing." "No, you're not." "We fought past that." "Well, there's plenty of people who still believe it's true." "We'll get it passed, I promise." " No, thanks." " Come on." "It's no fun doing it alone." "We could just go for a run." "No more runs until the death threats die down, that's the new rule." "But they let you go to the office." "Because I was in a bulletproof car." "Does this mean we've officially not quit?" "We've never been quitters, have we?" "Sir, Mrs. Underwood, sorry to interrupt." "I was gonna head home, but I'll stick around if you want me to." "Oh, no." "You've been up long enough." "Get some sleep." "I'll be back first thing in the morning." "Thank you for looking after me today." "My pleasure, ma'am." "Sir, Mrs. Underwood." " He's very dedicated." " He is." "It's rare to find someone like Edward." " What?" " You never use his first name." "Oh, did I?" "I don't feel right talking about her like this." "It's just... technically, she's my boss now." " There's a certain protocol." " This is coming directly from Doug." "Which means it's coming directly from the vice president." "Well, um, I have seen Mr. Danton around from time to time." "Do you know what he and the congresswoman were discussing?" "No, they were private meetings." "Do you have the appointment schedule?" "I'd like to look at the dates." "These weren't formal appointments." "He just stops by." "Most of the time pretty late at night." "Did the money originate in China?" "The money came from tribal revenue." "As our FEC reports clearly stated." "Let me rephrase." "Did any of that revenue come from Chinese visitors who gambled at your casino?" "We have visitors from all over the world." "I'm speaking specifically about a businessman named Xander Feng." "I have no idea who that is." "I'm looking at FAA flight records that show a private plane he owns making numerous trips to Kansas City." "And I spoke with Missouri Bus and Limo, which has transported Chinese visitors to your casino." " Ms. Said..." " Sayyad." "Ms. Sayyad, the only reason I returned your call was because you work for The Telegraph." "It's not every day that I get a call from a paper as big as yours." "But I don't know what you're trying to get at here, so if you'll excuse..." "What about Raymond Tusk?" " What about him?" " Feng has ties to Tusk." "Tusk has ties to the president." "You have ties to Feng." "That looks like foreign money being used to influence political..." "What you're insinuating is not only wrong," " it's libelous." " Not if it's true." "I won't bat an eyelash getting my attorneys involved." "Tusk made the same threat." "If a man worth 40 billion dollars doesn't intimidate me, you certainly don't, Mr. Lana..." "Hello?" "He hung up." "I had nothing to do with it, Raymond." "I can smell the horseshit through the phone." "You think I'd put myself at this great a risk?" "Desperate men are capable of anything." " I want it to go away, just like you do." " Then pull her back." "I have no control over the press, Raymond." "You'll destroy yourself, Frank, not me." "Thank you for that unsolicited advice." "Work with Doyle, make sure we have no weak spots." " I'll call him now." " What did Nancy say?" "Well, it looks like Jackie may be sleeping with the enemy." "Lanagin is correct in saying we run the risk of libel." "These links are supported by fact." "Individually, but you can't complete the circle." "I'm not saying the headline should read:" "Money Laundering Scheme Exposed!" "Just that we present the landscape as we currently know it." "We're first and foremost a financial paper." "Many of our readers worship Raymond Tusk." "So we just protect him?" "We don't insinuate connections we can't back up." "If there's any basis for litigation, you can be sure his team will be aggressive." "They've bankrupted papers before." "I think you should slow down and take your time." "When, and if, you have a story..." "Mr. Maxfield, Raymond Tusk is on the line." " Did you put in a call to him?" " Yesterday." "He's specifically asking for you, sir." "We got off the phone with Lanagin less than 30 minutes ago." "That means Tusk was the first call Lanagin made." "Tell him I'll return." "Did you reach out to the White House?" "They're not talking to anyone until after the president does his press briefing tomorrow." "All right, walk me through all of this again, point by point." " Meechum." " We can talk tomorrow, sir." "No." "What is it?" "I'd like to put in a request to be on your wife's detail full time." "At least until the death threats quiet down." "That's very thoughtful." "I'll only do it if you approve, sir." " Have you spoken to Claire?" " When she came home." " She likes the idea." " Then I think we should do it." "I'll let Agent Rockland know." "Sorry for interrupting you, sir." "You didn't interrupt anything." " Good night, sir." " Good night, Meechum." " Hey." " Hey." "You'll never believe what just happened." " What?" " Meechum came into the office and found me watching something..." " ...other than the news." " Oh!" " Oh, no." " He was very professional about it." " Were you...?" " No, no." "I was just watching." "That's really funny." "What about you?" "What are you watching?" "The video Connor gave me." "It's our first state senate race." "I forgot about that." "So did I, until I found it in the desk this morning." "Let me see." "...been there, like I have." "Of course, it doesn't hurt to have a little Texas in them..." "My God, look how young we are." "I know." "Everyone here has been so kind, and so welcoming." "We'll have her rooting for Clemson before too long." "That's where I have to draw the line." "Do you miss being with Adam?" "Where did that come from?" "Miss it?" "No." "Well, you must, sometimes." "He meant a lot to me for a while." "But that's done now." "What about you?" "What about me?" "Are you unsatisfied?" "There's just too much at stake now." "No one we can trust." "We don't have the freedom we once did." "Maybe it's better this way." "No room for distractions." "I don't mind the sacrifice." "We chose this instead." "I think the one thing we can agree on is the ribs here are better." "See, he's just trying to get under my skin." "No, it's not even debatable..." " How was California?" " Oh..." "Exhausting." "Twelve events in two days." " Is this the Golden Gate?" " Yes." "I had an etching right there." "The capitol before it was finished." "Took 85 years to complete it." " How long did it take to complete the bridge?" " About four years." "It opened a few months after FDR's second inaugural." "There was a man who got things done." "Strong beliefs and he stuck to them." "But compromised when he had to." "I assume you're here to talk about Claire's bill." "It's not a pet project." "There are three dozen cosponsors on either side of the aisle." " It's a serious bill." " I don't disagree." " Except with the language." " I can explain my thinking, but I doubt I'll convince you anymore..." "Putting aside the military's honor, chain of command, all the things that you hold dear let's consider one simple fact." "You wouldn't have this office if it weren't for me." "I made very clear that I wouldn't be a puppet." "I'm not trying to pull strings, but you could show a little gratitude." "If it were anything else, Mr. Vice President... but not this." "All you're doing is making the inevitable more difficult." "It's not inevitable." "Claire doesn't have the votes yet." "You really want to fight us on this." "I don't want to fight you at all." "Which is why I suggested to Claire that we sit down..." "I neither have the time nor the inclination to negotiate with you!" "Cosponsor the bill, whip the damn votes, I'm no longer asking." "Then I'm no longer listening." "You don't have just this office to thank me for." "If you win reelection, you can thank me for that, too." "Those attack ads didn't just disappear on their own." " What do you mean?" " Why don't you ask Remy Danton." "And ask him about Raymond Tusk while you're at it." "That ought to make for some very interesting pillow talk." "You keep up the good work, Nancy." "I will, Mr. Vice President." "I miss having you around, but you're my eyes and ears now, otherwise I'd steal you back in a heartbeat." "Well, thank you, sir." "It means a lot to me that you say that." " Doug?" " I'm busy." "The story just broke." "They timed it with the president's press conference." "Connect me with the vice president." "So the 7th Fleet is currently positioned near Guam, where it will remain if China removes its ships from Japan's sovereign waters." "I've been in frequent touch with prime minister Oshiro, and have made personal overtures to President Qian." "And I remain optimistic that tensions will be quelled without any further escalations." "So, with that, I'll take some questions." " Henry, you first." " Can you comment on the Wall Street Telegraph article..." "I was just notified of that moments before I joined you." "I haven't had a chance to read it yet." "Yeah, Jane." "Mr. President, would you walk us through your history with Raymond Tusk?" "I'm here to answer questions on Sino-Japanese relations." "Mark." "The article mentions Xander Feng, a wealthy and influential Chinese business..." "Unless this has to do with the statement I just made..." "It does, Mr. President." "Feng has ties to the standing committee and we're currently in a standoff with the Chinese." "Economically..." "Thank you all very much." "It's not beginning the story that I fear, it's not knowing how it will end." "Everyone is fair game now, including me." "This is par for the course, what we've come to expect from President Walker." "Whenever he's selling a shiny new car, he can't say enough about it." "The engine breaks down, the transmission gives out, he dodges, he ignores the warranty." "I'm gonna tell you something, our warranty is the Constitution of the United States, and there's no limit on that." "He needs to read the fine print and start answering our questions." "If any of this is true, we're talking Congress, the White House, both parties..." "Now, I'm saying "if,"" "but when it look like dirty money, and it smells like dirty money, somebody has probably got dirt under their nails." "Look, there's no real proof this money laundering is even..." "The connections are troubling, especially Underwood." "He was the House whip the entire time Adohi were contributing to the Democrats, and he's working side by side with the president now." "The president." "So this goes all the way to the White House?" " It might." " It's hypothetical." "And by the way, you've cherry-picked the facts to make your case." "I'm not making a case." "PAC Money Raises Questions." "And it has." "I haven't answered those questions, but I think the American people deserve answers." "Don't you?" "You can bet your bottom dollar the attorney general is gonna investigate." " With the firestorm this is causing in the media..." " What's our course of action?" "As your counsel, I would encourage you not to speak to the press until we have more information." "As your average citizen, the longer you wait, the more suspicious it looks." "If there's been any irregularity, I had nothing to do with it." "Your friendship with Tusk implies guilt by association." "Are we presuming guilt before innocence?" "I'm a lawyer, I presume nothing." "But public opinion doesn't have a law degree." "Give us a few moments." "I have to advise you not to have any conversation about this matter" " without me present." " Your advisement has been noted." "I'll be right outside." "Is this what you were keeping from me?" "We should follow your counsel's advice" " and not..." " Tell me if it's true, about the money." "With Bill out of the room, we open ourselves up to..." "Damn it, Frank!" "I've been in the dark too long on this." "That ends now." "I don't know any details." "Feng told me if the Bridge project got approved, the GOP would stop getting money." "We approved it, the money stopped." "Jesus Christ, that connects the White House directly to the money." "No, sir." "You knew nothing, you still know nothing." "If the DOJ finds any concrete evidence of foreign money..." "That's Raymond Tusk's head, not yours." "You've done nothing wrong." "Guilt by association, Frank." "You heard the man." "If the DOJ investigates, it will only prove your innocence." "Nobody walks away from something like this without bruises." "Well, bruises you can survive." "I just don't know how we can avoid it at this point." "Unless you want to accelerate the process and get rid of it." "We could always have the attorney general appoint a special prosecutor." " That's a terrible idea." " Maybe so." "And given where we are, Frank, I'm not inclined to follow your suggestions." "Well, I wasn't suggesting it was something you should do." "Just as a possibility." "No, in fact, I don't think you should." "I think it's better to drag these things out as long as possible." " Let the public fatigue on it." " And have it hanging over our heads until the midterms?" " It'll lose steam." " What if it doesn't." "I've got the Pentagon proposing tactical drone strikes in the South China Sea." "I can't be dealing with something like this for months on end." "Maybe you're right then." "A special prosecutor is the way to go." "I didn't say that, you did." "Oh, no." "I just meant in terms of getting it off your plate." "It wouldn't be on my plate if you kept me better informed." "I have done nothing but try to insulate you, sir." "Is that what you call the feeding frenzy I just went through?" "I make this solemn promise to you, Mr. President." "I will take the fall if it comes to that, but it won't." "However you decide to deal with this, I think your instincts are right." "We probably shouldn't involve a special prosecutor." "Send Bill back in." "You knew about this." "Tusk is a client, doesn't mean I know everything..." "Bullshit." "The reason you're a partner at Glendon Hill is because you know the things nobody else does." "What do you want me to say?" " Is it true?" " We don't talk about work." "We're not in bed, we're in my fucking office." "And in here, you work for Frank." " I work for no one but myself." " Keep telling yourself that." "Unlike you, I don't peddle my goods for whoever can pay the highest retainer." "I'm the bitch to a lot of top dogs, I'm fully aware and willing, but you're worse." "You're Frank's bitch and refuse to believe it." " That's not true." " Case in fucking point." "Don't turn this." "You knew about the money and you didn't tell me." "Even though it's thrown my seat into contention." "Let's say there was money, and let's say I did know," " what good would it have done?" " It means you were willing to watch me lose!" "It means I respected the boundaries that you demanded." " No changes, no special treatment." " This is different!" " So now we're making exceptions?" " When it's this important, yes!" "You can't have it both ways." "Were you...?" "Was I what?" "...fucking me to get info on Frank?" " Is that what you think?" " I don't know what to think." "I care about you more than I should." "But I'm getting tired of having to say it." "He's being moved to a federal psychiatric facility for assessment." "Then a high security detention center until the official sentencing." "Well, that's good to hear." "The bad news is we don't want you doing any public events for a while." "My bill's about to go to the floor." "I need to have a public profile." "Your death threats continue to rise." "We can't take the risk." " Am I even allowed to leave the house?" " Of course." "But we want you to avoid large crowds." "Our ability to protect..." "Mr. Vice President." " Anything wrong?" " We were just briefing Mrs. Underwood on her new security protocol." " Can we actually finish this later?" " Of course." "How did it go?" " He's skeptical." " Should I call Tricia?" "No." "It could look like I was trying to go behind his back." "We'll just have to wait and see." "I made my case." "Hopefully, he'll disagree with it." "But this could've been the wrong move." "Well, don't doubt yourself." "Seth has gotten over 3,000 e-mails in the last six hours." " The phones are overloaded." " So you ignore all that?" "I can't ignore the Department of Justice." "What can I do?" "Come and visit me when I'm in prison." "You don't have to stand by that door." "Take a load off." "Thank you, sir, but I'm supposed to stay on my feet." "Well, I won't tell if you won't." "And if anybody gives you any trouble about this, or anything, they can talk to me." " Beautiful night." " Yes, sir." "It's been strange not having you around these last few days." "You want me to switch back to your detail?" "No, no." "I'm glad you're with Claire." "I just didn't realize how much I got used to your company until you were gone." "Protecting her is the same as protecting you, in my mind." "Oh, come on." " Why do you do this?" " Do what, sir?" "I've always been awestruck, people who are willing to take a bullet for someone else." " That's how I serve my country." " Well, there's a lot of ways to serve your country." "And this is my way." " I haven't finished with this one yet." " It's not for you." "I can't drink on duty, ma'am." "It's not for you either." "Well, come on over and join the party." "Haven't you got sick of seeing my face yet?" "Never, ma'am." "To Meechum, for his loyalty and service." "To Edward." "I'm on my way to my lawyer's office, Remy." "That's not where I want to be when I'd usually be in bed." "I can't stop Frank from leaking things." "No, but you can make sure he suffers more than us." "And I say "us," Remy, because your skin is in this game now, too." " Are you gonna deny?" " Of course I'm gonna deny." "Every step of this was legal." "They can't prove the links between them." " What about Lanagin?" " He'll cooperate." "It's Feng we need to worry about." "I'll find a way to get in touch with him." "We do have one major advantage." "The public can hate me, but as long as Clayton West remains profitable, my stockholders won't care." "Frank doesn't have the same liberty." "Public opinion can demolish him." "You need to make sure that happens." "I can work with the Republicans on that." "Well, we'll be under the magnifying glass too." "This will be a witch hunt." "I'll make sure that they pick the right targets." "What you need to do is go after the leadership." "Make them hurt." "They'll turn on Frank to save themselves." "Birch, Womack, Sharp." "Especially Jackie Sharp." "She's his chosen one." " Remy?" " I heard you." "I got my marching orders." " I'm counting on you." " I'll deliver." "Let's talk in the morning." "The two names I like the most are Justin Gaines and Heather Dunbar." "Gaines has better credentials." "But he's close to the administration." "I would've made him a federal judge if the GOP hadn't blocked it." "That's an important point." "Dunbar's got grit." " She's more than qualified." " No baggage there?" " She's more unpredictable." " I doubt the attorney general would've put her on his list if he thought she was a wild card." "Sir, I have to say, I think this step is premature." "We should hold off and see what the DOJ does on its own." "I don't want to do it, Bill, but my fear is this:" "if we wait until the water goes from hot to boiling, we seem reactionary, not proactive." "But proactive could also seem defensive." "Like the suspect that screams "I didn't do it" before anyone asks." "Aside from that, we simply haven't had time to prepare." " Maybe wait a couple of weeks." " That defeats the purpose." " Then a few days." " I'd like to go with Dunbar." " Sir..." " I've made my decision." "Bill, I'd like you to convey my wishes to the attorney general." "Ultimately, the decision is his." "We can't appear to be pressuring him." " Of course not." " Thank you, sir." "The only thing more satisfying than convincing someone to do what I want, is failing to persuade them on purpose." "It's like a "Do Not Enter" sign, it just begs you to walk through the door." "Doyle's about halfway through our initial background check." "Every donor, every political event." "Everything that Dunbar might be looking into." " Good." "Seth?" " We avoid any official statement, follow the president's cue." "In the meantime, I'd like to make some off the record calls." "You welcome the investigation, it's the right step, et cetera." "Give folks the personal touch." "That's fine, as long as we don't come off defensive." "I'd like to see a list of who you'd be calling." "Some of this is gonna be on the fly, it'd be great if I had a little leeway." "Let Seth do his thing, you'll have your hands full with Doyle." "I'll let you know who I've called." "All right, let's get to work." "Sir?" "Yes, what is it?" "I understand that you need to delegate, but when you contradict me in front of Seth, it compromises my authority over him." "You can't micromanage, we have too much to do." "Seth is still new to the team." "I need to make sure that he's doing his job properly." " Well, I think he is." " I'm your fail-safe, sir." "But I can't be that if you won't let me." "Are you, Doug?" " My failsafe?" " Do you doubt that?" "We're flying full throttle into a hurricane, and you're talking office politics instead of focusing on making sure we don't get ripped apart." "You're right, sir." "I shouldn't have brought it up." " Is she still there?" " Yeah." "I told her I was going for a walk." "Look, Doug, I know you said you wanted her gone, but you have to understand..." "She can stay." " What?" " She doesn't have to leave, she can stay." "I trust you to be smart." "Will you read to me?" " My Bible's inside." " Doesn't have to be the Bible." "Just pull up something on your phone." " Like what?" " A Tale of Two Cities." "My mom used to read it to me." ""It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom," "it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope," "it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way."" "Hello?" "Doug, is that you?" "Hello?" "Hello?" "Doug?" "Yes, Doug, it is you."