S2E20

Leo Dismisses Josh's Tobacco Funding Push Amid Abbey's Return

At Margaret's desk, Josh probes Leo about the First Lady's return; Leo admits accidentally revealing Zoey's Harvard application before Bartlet could tell her, exposing family tensions. Josh urgently pitches $30 million for the tobacco lawsuit, arguing congressional tobacco influence blocks transfers, but cynical Leo rebuffs it as futile and politically suicidal, half-listening while reading messages. Josh heads to the airport for the secret MS poll; Leo's curt 'Do a job' underscores pragmatism clashing with Josh's idealism, contrasting daily crises with the looming scandal.

Plot Beats

The narrative micro-steps within this event

Josh pivots to demanding $30 million for the tobacco lawsuit, shifting focus to political warfare.

guilt to confrontation ["Leo's office"]

Leo dismisses the funding request with cynical realism about congressional obstruction.

confrontation to frustration ["Leo's office"]

Josh persists with idealistic arguments while Leo disengages, their dynamic highlighting administration fractures.

frustration to detachment ["Leo's office"]

Josh announces his departure for the airport, hinting at covert poll preparations.

detachment to purpose ["Leo's office"]

Who Was There

Characters present in this moment

Martin Connelly

primary

Desperate urgency fueling pleas for financial lifeline.

Invoked by Josh as Assistant Attorney General in Civil Division whose desperate report of being out of money for the tobacco fraud suit ignites the funding pitch, underscoring prosecutorial desperation amid White House budget wars.

Goals in this moment

• Secure emergency $30M transfer to sustain DOJ tobacco prosecution
• Mobilize White House intervention against congressional blocks

Active beliefs

• $30M is critical and achievable to win against Big Tobacco deception
• Transfer laws provide viable path despite political hurdles

Character traits

urgent passionate idealistic

Follow Martin Connelly's journey

Josiah Bartlet

primary

mentioned as not yet having told First Lady about Zoey's application

Character traits

protective resolute self-aware principled

Follow Josiah Bartlet's journey

Objects Involved

Significant items in this scene

Leo's Phone Messages

Leo snatches the compact stack of curling notification slips from Margaret's desk in a swift sweep upon entering, pores over them mid-stride into his office, flicks through pages while half-listening to Josh's fervent tobacco pitch, and glances up from them only at the end to deliver 'Do a job,' symbolizing higher crises eclipsing idealism and splintering Leo's focus amid MS scandal shadows.

Before: Stacked on Margaret's desk, edges curling from desk …

After: Clutched and actively read by Leo in his …

Before: Stacked on Margaret's desk, edges curling from desk grit, awaiting retrieval.

After: Clutched and actively read by Leo in his office, thumb-flicked during conversation.

Location Details

Places and their significance in this event

Atlantic Coast Airports (Eastern Seaboard Civilian Airfields & Terminals)

Referenced as Josh's imminent destination for covert polling on MS tolerance amid stranded travelers and jet whine, contrasting the office's intimate power clash with public anonymity risks, heightening tension as White House secrets bleed into civilian flux under scandal's gathering storm.

Atmosphere Anticipated chaos of frozen boards and fuel-stung air underscoring operational lockdown vibes.

Function Upcoming site for secret MS poll execution.

Symbolism Gateway to external vulnerability where internal lies face public testing.

Access Public terminals but White House ops demand stealth amid post-crisis ghosts.

Jet whine slicing crisis air Stranded baggage carts and frozen departure boards

Organizations Involved

Institutional presence and influence

Department of Veterans Affairs

Department of Veterans Affairs flagged for up to $12M transfer ceiling to Civil Division per law, futile against House blocks Josh details, amplifying Leo's conviction that even escalated funds won't prevail in tobacco colossus clash.

Representation Via quantified cap in transfer law discussion.

Power Dynamics Veteran funds hostage to committee tobacco loyalties.

Execute lawful transfers up to authorized limits Support DOJ's veteran-adjacent public health fights Capped fiscal provisions in enabling legislation Integration into broader federal justice funding

United States Department of Commerce

United States Department of Commerce cited as prime transfer source under summer law for Civil Division's tobacco war, yet chained to House committee approval Josh decries as rigged, factoring into failed $30M pitch and Leo's veto.

Representation As statutory funding pool invoked in budget debate.

Power Dynamics Potential donor restrained by congressional oversight.

Comply with transfer mandates if approved Sustain interagency justice support Legal provisions enabling fund shifts Fiscal reserves targeted for litigation bolstering

Senate Appropriations Committee

House Committees cast as primary obstacles, their tobacco-bankrolled chairmen poised to block transfers from Commerce, HHS, and VA per law, rendering $30M plea futile and provoking Leo's dismissal, highlighting partisan gridlock strangling executive justice pushes.

Representation Via chairmen enforcing approval protocols as veto wielders.

Power Dynamics Exerts congressional supremacy over executive fund reallocations.

Impact Underscores budget brinkmanship crippling anti-corporate litigation.

Internal Dynamics Chair-driven hierarchy prioritizing donor agendas.

Protect tobacco donor interests by denying DOJ funding Maintain committee control through lobby-aligned decisions Statutory approval authority on interagency transfers Tobacco campaign contributions shaping electoral outcomes

Health and Human Services

Health and Human Services named alongside Commerce as tappable reservoir under transfer law for DOJ tobacco offensive, limited by House vetoes Josh laments, underscoring fiscal crossfire dooming the urgent lifeline plea.

Representation As referenced federal cash source in funding argument.

Power Dynamics Ally resource blocked by legislative gatekeepers.

Facilitate transfers to anti-tobacco prosecution Align health policy with justice imperatives Budgetary allocations per interagency statutes Health-focused coffers eyed for legal reinforcement

Tobacco Companies

Josh indicts Tobacco Companies as corrupt funders of House chairmen with $8M election cash, wielding veto power over fund transfers to doom DOJ suit despite laws, mirroring White House deception cover-up paranoia and fueling Leo's cynical rejection amid parallel fraud wars.

Representation Through political influence via campaign donations to congressional gatekeepers.

Power Dynamics Dominates via financial chokehold on rival institutions like DOJ.

Impact Exposes federal justice system's vulnerability to corporate cash in public health battles.

Neutralize DOJ fraud lawsuit through congressional allies Preserve profits by burying prosecutors in spending disparity Election funding to secure committee chair loyalties Lobby pressure enforcing transfer vetoes

Civil Division

Civil Division spotlighted via Connelly's plea as financially crippled mid-tobacco fraud assault, needing $30M lifeline Josh champions against Leo's rebuff, embodying prosecutorial zeal starved by fiscal sabotage paralleling White House MS evasion strains.

Representation Through Connelly's relayed desperation to White House intermediaries.

Power Dynamics Besieged underdog pleading for executive rescue from congressional siege.

Impact Highlights DOJ vulnerabilities in landmark public health suits.

Obtain $30M to prosecute tobacco deception fully Overcome funding shortfalls via interagency transfers Direct appeals from leadership like Connelly Leverage of transfer statutes despite committee hurdles

Narrative Connections

How this event relates to others in the story

What led here 3

NARRATIVELY_FOLLOWS medium

"Abbey's arrival at the White House is immediately followed by Leo revealing his role in escalating the domestic crisis, connecting the timing of their actions."

Abbey's Brisk Return and Fiery MS Reckoning

S2E20 · The Fall's Gonna Kill You

NARRATIVELY_FOLLOWS medium

"Abbey's arrival at the White House is immediately followed by Leo revealing his role in escalating the domestic crisis, connecting the timing of their actions."

Abbey's Furious Confrontation Over MS Betrayal

S2E20 · The Fall's Gonna Kill You

Thematic Parallel medium

"Josh's demand for tobacco lawsuit funding and Leo's dismissal highlight the recurring theme of financial and political vulnerabilities within the administration."

Leo Confesses Zoey Slip to Abbey as Josh Presses Tobacco Funding Amid Crisis

S2E20 · The Fall's Gonna Kill You

What this causes 1

Thematic Parallel medium

"Josh's demand for tobacco lawsuit funding and Leo's dismissal highlight the recurring theme of financial and political vulnerabilities within the administration."

Leo Confesses Zoey Slip to Abbey as Josh Presses Tobacco Funding Amid Crisis

S2E20 · The Fall's Gonna Kill You

Key Dialogue

"JOSH: "Thirty million dollars." LEO: "No.""

"LEO: "Cause we're gonna lose." JOSH: "So you give 'em enough to win.""

"LEO: "All right... Do a job." JOSH: "Yeah.""