Witnesses

observant forthright alarmed

Witnesses to the attempted shooting outside the White House observed the shooter fire several rounds before Secret Service agents and Park Police overtook him. They reported key details to on-scene reporters: the shooter never entered the grounds, and at least one bullet struck a White House office window. Their accounts reached MSNBC and informed C.J.'s press strategy during the lockdown, helping contain speculation and confirm the President's safety amid heightened tensions.

4 appearances

Also known as: witnesses

Witnesses's Journey

A timeline through the narrative

4 moments

S4E2 · 20 Hours in America Part II

Leo's Domestic Ritual Interrupted by Breaking News

Likely distressed and disoriented; communicated information under duress to authorities and press.

Referenced by C.J. as the source of a crucial eyewitness detail — that swimmers were in the water during the explosions — their report escalates concern about civilian exposure and …

View full event

S4E2 · 20 Hours in America Part II

Cooking-Show Calm Shattered by Kennison Bombing Briefing

Distressed and likely traumatized—speakers whose testimony raises the human cost of the incident.

Witnesses are reported in C.J.'s briefing as sources relaying that there were swimmers in the water at the time of the explosions; their observations are a key detail shaping casualty …

View full event

S4E20 · Evidence of Things Not Seen

Damage Control: C.J. Locks Down the Narrative

Alarmed and factual — providing immediate-sensory observations that fuel media narrative.

Witnesses are quoted by the reporter reporting that the shooter did not enter the grounds and that at least one bullet struck a White House office window — their observations …

View full event

S4E20 · Evidence of Things Not Seen

Damage Control: Shaping the Line

Possibly shaken and uncertain—recounting what they saw to reporters.

Witnesses are invoked by the reporter as sources describing the shooter's position and the apparent window strike; their testimony supplies narrative details C.J. must consider verifying.

View full event