Kovaleski Delivers Death Tax Override Bill to Nervous Rookie Dolan
Plot Beats
The narrative micro-steps within this event
Kovaleski, accompanied by a guard, enters the dark Office of the Executive Clerk, holding a blue file, and greets Donald Dolan, the only person present.
Dolan nervously confirms his identity and admits it's his second week on the job, unaware that a crucial moment is about to unfold.
Kovaleski hands Dolan the blue file and instructs him to call the deputy chief of staff, revealing the impending delivery of a critical bill to the President for signature or veto.
Dolan picks up the phone and requests to speak to Josh Lyman, setting the stage for the bill's delivery and the ensuing political showdown.
Who Was There
Characters present in this moment
Unaware but primed for activation
Designated recipient invoked by protocol; Dolan dials his line from Executive Clerk's office, announcing bill arrival for presidential action, pulling him into override crisis off-screen.
- • Receive urgent legislative notifications
- • Mobilize response to override threat
- • Deputy chief role demands instant crisis readiness
- • Bill overrides threaten presidential agenda
Resolute calm under procedural urgency
Enters dark office with guard after descending stairs and hallway, confirms Dolan's identity with clipped precision, spells name, verifies protocol knowledge, hands over blue file containing death tax override bill, and exits promptly as Dolan dials.
- • Execute formal delivery of override bill
- • Ensure immediate chain-of-command notification
- • Strict adherence to protocol averts chaos
- • Legislative deadlines demand swift execution
Impassive vigilance
Silently accompanies Kovaleski descending stairs, through hallway, into dark office, remains watchful behind during handoff and dialogue, exits with Kovaleski as Dolan begins dialing.
- • Provide security escort for bill delivery
- • Maintain perimeter protocol in restricted areas
- • Physical presence enforces institutional security
- • Unspoken duty supports high-stakes transfers
Anxious determination masking inexperience
Greets Kovaleski and guard in solitary dark office, nervously confirms identities and prior call, admits newness and solo duty, reiterates protocol to call deputy chief, receives blue file, thanks them, picks up phone, and dials Josh Lyman announcing bill delivery.
- • Accurately receive and process bill delivery
- • Promptly notify Josh Lyman to initiate presidential review
- • His clerical role bridges Congress and President
- • Personal newness doesn't excuse procedural rigor
Objects Involved
Significant items in this scene
Kovaleski grips and thrusts the blue folder—housing the House-passed Death Tax Elimination Act override bill—into Dolan's hands after protocol confirmation, transferring explosive legislative payload that demands Bartlet's signature or veto, catalyzing White House frenzy from congressional ambush.
Dolan snatches the landline receiver post-handoff, dials Josh Lyman with anxious precision to report Clerk's bill delivery, bridging clerical isolation to deputy chief nexus and igniting override crisis chain reaction in the dead of night.
Location Details
Places and their significance in this event
Dark office hosts core handoff: Dolan alone greets entrants, tense dialogue unfolds over desk, bill transfers, phone dials—solitary clerical bastion shatters under override intrusion, birthing White House scramble amid flickering lamps and protocol's cold weight.
Kovaleski and guard descend the narrow, shadowed stairs late at night carrying the override bill, their footsteps echoing tension as they transition from upper levels toward the Executive Clerk's office, underscoring procedural gravity in vertical plunge into crisis epicenter.
Kovaleski and guard traverse the dim hallway post-stairs en route to office, a brief conduit amplifying nocturnal urgency as bill bearer advances unchecked toward handoff, linking broader West Wing chaos to this pivotal delivery threshold.
Organizations Involved
Institutional presence and influence
Kovaleski explicitly invokes the Clerk of the House as bill deliverer during protocol instructions, thrusting certified override into executive machinery via proxy handoff, embodying House's aggressive push against Bartlet's veto on eve of Yom Kippur crisis.
Narrative Connections
How this event relates to others in the story
"Dolan's call to Josh interrupts Donna's attempt to tie Josh's bow tie, shifting the scene's focus to the impending crisis."
Part of Larger Arcs
Key Dialogue
"KOVALESKI: "Do you know what to do?""
"DOLAN: "I call the deputy chief of staff.""
"KOVALESKI: "And you tell him the Clerk of the House has delivered a bill. Then you bring it to the President for his signature or veto.""
"DOLAN: "Yes. This is Mr. Dolan in the Executive Clerk's Office. I'd like Mr. Lyman, please.""