The West Wing
S1E13
· Take Out The Trash Day

Ultimatum in Leo's Office: Resign or Be Exposed

Simon visits Leo to deliver a cold political calculation: a Congressional hearing is inevitable and will dredge up episodes of alcohol and pill use — and an op‑ed calling for Leo's resignation runs in tomorrow's Post. Simon frames resignation as the only practical way to protect the President's agenda; Leo refuses, confronts Simon's Atlantic Oil ties, and angrily ejects him. The scene crystallizes betrayal and shifts the crisis from negotiable politics to a personal, career‑ending threat, raising stakes for Leo and his team.

Plot Beats

The narrative micro-steps within this event

2

Simon confirms Josh and Sam are negotiating with Bruno to avert hearings, foreshadowing political peril.

anticipation to tension

Simon delivers a brutal ultimatum: hearings are inevitable and will expose Leo's addiction history.

defensiveness to dread

Who Was There

Characters present in this moment

2
Leo Thomas McGarry (Chief of Staff)
primary

Righteously indignant and betrayed on the surface; beneath the bravado there is fear for institutional fallout and for personal legacy.

Leo absorbs Simon's warning, rejects the premise that resignation is necessary, challenges Simon's motives and Atlantic Oil ties, rises physically to assert authority, and forcefully ejects Simon from his office, expressing both anger and visible distress afterward.

Goals in this moment
  • • Refuse to be politically blackmailed and protect his honor and career.
  • • Protect the President's agenda by keeping the focus on governance rather than personal scandal.
Active beliefs
  • • Resignation is unnecessary and would not serve the party or the President's agenda.
  • • Simon is compromised by private, possibly corrupt interests (Atlantic Oil) and thus lacks moral standing to demand Leo's sacrifice.
Character traits
defiant protective of the President morally indignant authoritative
Follow Leo Thomas …'s journey
Simon Blye (private political operator, Leo McGarry acquaintance)
primary

Coolly urgent — externally composed and businesslike, with a hint of impatient superiority and wounded pride when personally attacked.

Simon calmly delivers a political calculation: a hearing is inevitable, an op‑ed calling for Leo's resignation runs tomorrow, and resignation is the pragmatic choice. He produces the copy as leverage, argues urgency, and remains composed when accused before leaving under Leo's order.

Goals in this moment
  • • Convince Leo to resign to blunt the political firestorm and protect the President's agenda.
  • • Use the imminent op‑ed as leverage to shape the administration's personnel outcome in favor of broader political calculations.
Active beliefs
  • • A public hearing and the ensuing revelations will be politically toxic and will threaten the President's agenda if not contained.
  • • A voluntary resignation by Leo is the fastest, least damaging path to preserve the party's and administration's broader goals.
Character traits
pragmatic calculating measured cavalier about personal cost
Follow Simon Blye …'s journey

Location Details

Places and their significance in this event

1
Leo McGarry's Office (Chief of Staff's Office)

Leo's Office serves as the private arena for this confrontation: a confined, authoritative space where institutional loyalty and personal history collide. The room enables a frank, high‑stakes exchange removed from public eyes but heavy with political consequence.

Atmosphere Tense, intimate, and foreboding—an enclosed pressure cooker where a friendship fractures under political stress.
Function Battleground for a private political confrontation and the site where a personal betrayal transforms into …
Symbolism Embodies both Leo's personal stewardship of the White House and the isolation that comes with …
Access Informal but effectively restricted to senior staff or close confidants; a private office not open …
Close, private office lighting (daylight implied) A sense of paperwork and institutional clutter framing the interpersonal exchange A quiet setting that amplifies the verbal confrontation and its personal stakes

Narrative Connections

How this event relates to others in the story

What led here 2
Character Continuity

"Leo's personal crisis escalates as his past becomes political ammunition."

Bad Timing: The Sex‑Ed Report and Leo's Tradeoff
S1E13 · Take Out The Trash Day
Character Continuity

"Leo's personal crisis escalates as his past becomes political ammunition."

Bruno's Ultimatum: Leo's Private Past Goes Public
S1E13 · Take Out The Trash Day

Key Dialogue

"SIMON: There's going to be a hearing Leo, and it'll take months and it'll be awful. We're gonna hear stories about booze, and pills, and God knows what you did..."
"SIMON: In tomorrow's Post. I wanted to let you know as a courtesy as we've been friends for so long. I have a copy with me..."
"LEO: I think you should walk out of here now. As a matter of fact, I think you should run."