Leo Demands Levy — and a Cover Story
Plot Beats
The narrative micro-steps within this event
Josh enters Leo's office, and Leo inquires about Josh's recent conversation regarding the Chesapeake cleanup bill.
Leo insists on adding a local levy and binding targets to the Chesapeake bill, despite potential backlash from Republicans.
Who Was There
Characters present in this moment
Frustrated but focused; annoyed at House dynamics while quickly recalibrating to the new operational emergency.
Josh enters Leo's office mid-conversation, reports on the Chesapeake cleanup negotiations, argues political context and trade-offs, and listens as Leo pivots the meeting into an operational crisis response.
- • Secure a workable bipartisan Chesapeake bill with the caucus chair's demands accommodated
- • Limit political fallout for Democrats and protect vulnerable deals (e.g., keep Tom Landis engaged)
- • Bipartisan wins are politically valuable even when costly
- • Adding revenue/targets is defensible given precedents like Superfund
Not directly shown; presence implies vulnerability and the administration's urgency to protect him.
President Josiah Bartlet is the subject of the operational orders—his plane is airborne with a possible gear failure, and Leo frames the secrecy measures as protecting him and the administration's image.
- • Ensure safe landing and minimal public alarm
- • Preserve presidential dignity and administration credibility
- • The President's safety and optics justify extraordinary measures
- • Containment of information is necessary to prevent panic or political damage
Standoffish/withdrawing (implied): not aggressively engaged, creating irritation among Democrats.
Tom Landis is referenced as the Republican sitting in the Roosevelt Room; his presence complicates the bipartisan outreach Josh is attempting and is cited as a source of Hill frustration.
- • Protect his district and political standing
- • Remain noncommittal until political advantage is clear
- • Caution around bipartisan deals is electorally prudent
- • Distance can be a political safeguard
Reportedly aggrieved and combative about the administration's handling of House politics.
Segal is invoked as another angry Hill Democrat whose earlier confrontation with Josh underscores the intra-party pressure shaping the Chesapeake negotiation.
- • Prevent policies that could be used against vulnerable Democrats
- • Force the administration to prioritize party protection over risky deals
- • Electoral safety should guide legislative strategy
- • The White House must defend Democratic members from political fallout
Angry/frustrated (reported): annoyed at perceived concessions to Republicans and worried about party consequences.
Simmel is referenced by Josh and Leo as a disgruntled Hill Democrat who has already been in talks about Chesapeake, his opposition framing the urgency of concessions.
- • Prevent concessions that could hurt Democratic incumbents
- • Hold the administration accountable for protecting House seats
- • Protecting vulnerable Democrats is paramount
- • Bipartisanship can be politically dangerous if it aids Republicans
Detached and watchful (implied): doing his job, which creates exposure risk for the administration.
The Wire Service Guy is referenced as positioned at Andrews and likely to notice irregularities; his presence is the immediate public-risk that motivates ordering a staged fuel spill.
- • Record accurate landing/wheels-down times
- • Report anomalies at Andrews reliably
- • Independent verification matters to hold officials accountable
- • On-the-ground observation can uncover official cover stories
Determined and insistent: focused on securing revenue and enforceable environmental targets.
The Caucus Chair is invoked as the internal party actor demanding a dedicated levy and binding nonpoint-source targets, shaping Leo's instruction to modify the Chesapeake bill.
- • Obtain revenue enhancements for Chesapeake cleanup
- • Secure enforceable nonpoint-source pollution targets
- • Strong, binding policy is necessary to achieve environmental progress
- • Local business levies are acceptable tools for funding cleanup
Objects Involved
Significant items in this scene
Leo picks up and uses the office speakerphone to connect to Margaret and the Sit Room; the device channels operational communication, enabling remote coordination and public-cover decisions in real time.
The F-16s are described as being tasked to visually inspect Air Force One's nose-wheel; their limited visibility on a moonless night prompts additional fuel and the decision to stage a cover story.
A staged fuel spill on an unused Andrews runway is ordered as an operational deception to explain any visible activity on the ground and distract reporters from the plane's landing-gear problem.
Runway foam is mentioned as an emergency landing measure if the gear is deemed unserviceable; discussed as part of operational contingency planning though not yet deployed.
Missiles belonging to the 22nd Tactical Fighter Wing are referenced to underscore the deterrent presence of the F-16 escorts and to add gravity to the cover story and the administration's posture.
Air Force One (Andrews Fly-By) is the physical object in distress—the 747 with an unconfirmed nose-wheel lock is kept airborne in a holding pattern and is the reason for both the F-16 visual checks and the staged ground activity.
Location Details
Places and their significance in this event
Andrews Tower is the on-site observation post that must visually confirm the aircraft's landing gear during the low fly-by; its limitations in moonless conditions drive the decision to stage a ground diversion.
An unused runway at Andrews is nominated as the site for a staged fuel spill to provide a plausible explanation for any unusual activity observed on the ground and to distract press from the presidential aircraft's problem.
Organizations Involved
Institutional presence and influence
Hill Democrats (as an organizational posture) manifest as internal critics pressuring staff to protect vulnerable members and demanding enforceable policy language in Chesapeake.
Republicans are the implied external political opposition whose likely anger at the levy and targets is weighed in the Chesapeake negotiation; their potential reaction factors into staff calculations.
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) is invoked indirectly through Leo's policy demands; its pressure for revenue and enforceable targets informs the requested Chesapeake changes.
The 22nd Tactical Fighter Wing provides the F-16s and their armed missiles as both practical support for visual confirmation and as a deterrent posture that reinforces the staged narrative.
The Sit Room is activated as the operational executor of Leo's orders: coordinating F-16 escorts, arranging refueling, and being instructed to stage a fuel spill to misdirect press and secure a covert landing.
Narrative Connections
How this event relates to others in the story
"Leo's insistence on adding local levies and binding targets to the Chesapeake bill leads to his coordination of a fake fuel spill and fighter jet escort."
"Leo's insistence on adding local levies and binding targets to the Chesapeake bill leads to his coordination of a fake fuel spill and fighter jet escort."
Key Dialogue
"LEO: "The caucus chair and the D-triple-C want to add revenue enhancement-- a dedicated levy from local businesses-- and they want binding targets on all the nonpoint source stuff.""
"JOSH: "Okay. That's about three different ways of saying a brand-new tax on local business.""
"LEO: "You better have them spill some fuel out there. Please, on a runway we're not going to need.""