C.J.'s Razor-Sharp Press Deflections on Konanov, Mitchell, and Lame Ducks
Plot Beats
The narrative micro-steps within this event
C.J. Cregg firmly denies that Vasily Konanov will meet with any high-ranking officials, emphasizing his visit is limited to advisors on the Balkans.
Reporters press C.J. about Senator-elect Morgan Mitchell's intention to block the Test Ban Treaty, to which she responds with confidence and a biting remark.
Danny Concannon asks if the President has considered a lame duck session to ratify the treaty, and C.J. deflects the question with evasive answers.
Who Was There
Characters present in this moment
Eager insistence fueling chaotic energy.
Collectively surges with shouts from the floor, firing rapid questions on Konanov-McNally meeting, Mitchell's Foreign Relations gambit and 'over his dead body' threat, clamoring for C.J.'s attention in waves that amplify briefing frenzy.
- • Probe for Konanov high-level access confirmations
- • Elicit White House reaction to Mitchell's treaty blockade announcement
- • Konanov rumors indicate broader diplomatic intrigue
- • Mitchell's threat merits immediate administration response
Determined persistence laced with journalistic hunger.
Rises amid press chaos to persistently question C.J. on presidential consideration of a lame duck session for treaty vote, presses for confirmation despite deflection, and requests follow-up check, undeterred by her pivot to others.
- • Uncover administration's lame duck contingency plans
- • Secure attributable info for Hardball-level story on treaty maneuvers
- • C.J.'s evasion signals potential lame duck discussions
- • Persistent pressure will yield leaks amid deadline pressures
Confident poise masking controlled urgency to protect administration flanks.
Commands the podium amid reporter clamor, delivers crisp denials of Konanov's high-level access, pledges unwavering Test Ban Treaty ratification, skewers Mitchell with biting wit on freshman impotence, and evades Danny's lame duck probes with precise non-committals, redirecting to next question.
- • Contain Konanov diplomatic rumors to low-level channels
- • Project treaty inevitability despite Mitchell threats
- • Delay lame duck revelations to preserve tactical flexibility
- • High-level denials safeguard broader ratification strategy
- • Mitchell's bravado lacks real Senate power as a freshman
- • No formal lame duck discussions exist to disclose
Neutral; insulated senior advisor.
Explicitly named in reporter query and flatly denied as Konanov contact, shielding her from entanglement in C.J.'s containment narrative.
- • Avoid association with Konanov per strategy
- • No meetings occurred as per denial
Neutral; offscreen diplomatic figure under narrative lockdown.
Absent but centrally invoked as Washington visitor whose purported high-level meetings C.J. vehemently denies, quarantining him to White House Balkans advisors only.
- • Engage in Balkans-focused talks (implied by containment)
- • Low-level access aligns with official channels
Neutral; offscreen threat diminished by retort.
Thrust into spotlight via reporters as senator-elect plotting Foreign Relations seat to torpedo Test Ban Treaty, savaged by C.J. as powerless freshman whose 'dead body' vow is irrelevant.
- • Block treaty via committee perch (reported intent)
- • Personal leverage can derail ratification
Referenced as not meeting Konanov and as potentially considering a lame duck session (denied by C.J.).
Location Details
Places and their significance in this event
Framed as the diplomatic hotspot hosting Konanov's contained visit, invoked in C.J.'s denials to underscore Washington's restricted access protocols amid Balkans maneuvering and treaty pressures.
Serves as the high-pressure arena where C.J. fields a barrage of shouted questions from packed reporters, her podium commands slicing through chaos to enforce White House narrative on Konanov isolation and treaty defiance, embodying the daily ritual of verbal combat that tests administration resolve.
Organizations Involved
Institutional presence and influence
Positioned as Konanov's sole sanctioned venue for Balkans advisor meetings, with C.J. affirming no presidential or cabinet access, while projecting treaty ratification certainty against external threats.
Explicitly quarantined by C.J.'s denial of senior aide contacts with Konanov, reinforcing White House isolation tactics to prevent alliance entanglement in Russian-Balkans diplomacy during lame-duck ratification sprint.
Shut out via C.J.'s flat denial of ambassador's Konanov meeting, channeling multilateral diplomacy away from high-stakes engagement to protect U.S. strategic narrative on arms control and regional fires.
Narrative Connections
How this event relates to others in the story
"The reporters' pressing questions about Senator-elect Morgan Mitchell's intention to block the Test Ban Treaty directly lead to Toby Ziegler's argument for the urgency of ratifying the treaty now."
"The reporters' pressing questions about Senator-elect Morgan Mitchell's intention to block the Test Ban Treaty directly lead to Toby Ziegler's argument for the urgency of ratifying the treaty now."
"The reporters' pressing questions about Senator-elect Morgan Mitchell's intention to block the Test Ban Treaty directly lead to Toby Ziegler's argument for the urgency of ratifying the treaty now."
Key Dialogue
"REPORTER: "Is he meeting with Nancy McNally?" C.J.: "No, I want to make it very clear that Mr. Konanov... is not meeting with the Secretary of State or any Cabinet level official...""
"REPORTER 1ST: "Senator elect Morgan Mitchell's going to announce... he'll block a vote on the Test Ban Treaty..." C.J.: "We'll have a fully ratified, comprehensive Test Ban Treaty... we really don't care what condition his body is in when we do.""
"DANNY: "Has the President considered ordering a lame duck session so the current Senate can vote on the Treaty?" C.J.: "No... That I'm aware of.""