Leo's Fiery Rejection of Censure Ignites Loyalty Clash
Plot Beats
The narrative micro-steps within this event
Cliff reveals the offer: the hearings—including Gibson's damning testimony and the First Lady's grilling—will end immediately in exchange for President Bartlet's acceptance of a joint resolution (H.R. 172) that censures him for lying to the American people.
Leo vehemently rejects the deal, refusing to let Bartlet take a bullet for him, declaring his loyalty in no uncertain terms before storming out of the room.
Jordan, left behind, negotiates a one-day window to sway Leo, leaving the fate of the deal—and the President's reputation—hanging in the balance.
Who Was There
Characters present in this moment
Wary vigilance sharpening into tactical opportunism
Jordan Kendall enters with Leo, aggressively questions Capitol Police presence as intimidation, demands their relocation to hall's end, engages in negotiation details on hearings and censure, restrains Leo's outbursts, and privately requests one-day extension from Cliff post-rejection.
- • Ensure intimidation-free negotiation environment
- • Buy time to potentially sway Leo toward compromise
- • Armed guards undermine fair deal-making
- • Short extension preserves leverage amid loyalty deadlock
Stoic professionalism undisturbed by demands
Three Policemen station rigidly outside door for privacy as instructed by Chairman, one engages briefly with Cliff at threshold on relocation command, then all retreat wordlessly to opposite side of hall per orders.
- • Maintain security perimeter without intrusion
- • Comply with superior directives promptly
- • Institutional protocol prioritizes privacy in high-stakes talks
- • Neutral enforcement avoids partisan friction
Calm deference amid escalating tension
Unfamiliar Counsel sits silently beside Cliff, nods assent to police relocation order, remains poised at table during tense greetings, police dispatch, and full censure proposal exchange without verbal contribution.
- • Facilitate smooth execution of negotiation logistics
- • Support Cliff's positional leverage
- • Procedural privacy enhances deal viability
- • Congressional machinery outlasts White House defiance
Righteously defiant fury fueled by absolute fealty
Leo McGarry dismisses police intimidation casually, demands swift negotiation start, flatly denies President lied under censure pitch, mocks deal with Neverland sarcasm, affirms 'I take a bullet for the President,' rises abruptly, grabs coat, and storms out rejecting overture entirely.
- • Shield President from any admission of wrongdoing
- • Reject expediency that betrays personal oath
- • Bartlet committed no lie warranting censure
- • True loyalty demands personal sacrifice over political deals
Sarcastic poise veiling frustration at resistance
Cliff Calley greets arrivals, explains and relocates Capitol Police at Jordan's demand via counsel, pitches ending hearings including Gibson's and First Lady's testimony for H.R. 172 censure, presses White House acquiescence, and grudgingly grants Jordan a one-day extension after Leo's exit.
- • Secure White House agreement to censure resolution
- • Terminate Oversight hearings on favorable terms
- • Censure is a pragmatic off-ramp from scandal escalation
- • Leo's influence can sway Bartlet more than congressional leaders
Central figure in censure proposal; Leo affirms loyalty and denies he lied
Objects Involved
Significant items in this scene
Leo's coat snatched abruptly as he rises in defiance after bullet vow, swirled over shoulders in storming exit; narrative emblem of rejection, punctuating unyielding loyalty's abrupt severance from tainted deal.
H.R. 172 joint resolution named as censure core, brandished by Cliff as exchange for halting hearings and witnesses like Gibson; ignites Leo's denial and mockery, embodying poisoned political bargain Leo scorches in loyalty's fire.
Dimly lit negotiation room table, pre-set for four participants, anchors rigid seating as Cliff pitches censure deal, Leo rejects vehemently, and Jordan maneuvers extension; symbolizes stark confrontation where elbows plant amid volleys fracturing loyalty from expediency.
Location Details
Places and their significance in this event
Rayburn House Negotiation Room hosts terse greetings, police dispute resolution, table-bound censure pitch, Leo's explosive rejection and coat-grab exit; confines midnight brinkmanship, amplifying claustrophobic tension where defiance erupts amid stark procedural gravity.
End of hall receives relocated Capitol Police per Jordan's intimidation charge and Cliff's orders, swallowing guards' forms to enforce demanded privacy during core censure volleys and Leo's exit.
Hallway outside hearing room features Cliff's door conferral with policeman on relocation, Leo's defiant storm-through post-rejection; transitional tension vein where security yields and loyalty propels escape from compromise.
Organizations Involved
Institutional presence and influence
U.S. House of Representatives drives negotiation via Oversight hearings halt offer through H.R. 172, Gibson testimony, witness list including First Lady; Chairman/Speaker suggestions underscore legislative siege on executive.
The White House positioned as censure target via H.R. 172, compelled to welcome bipartisan vote per Cliff's terms; Leo defends fiercely, distinguishing it from President's personal stand amid loyalty rift.
Capitol Police enforce privacy at door per Chairman, briefly engage Cliff's relocation directive, retreating to hall's end under Jordan's intimidation accusation; underscore institutional muscle flexing then yielding in negotiation's power plays.
Narrative Connections
How this event relates to others in the story
"The congressional offer of censure presented to Leo directly leads to Bartlet's ultimate decision to accept it."
"The congressional offer of censure presented to Leo directly leads to Bartlet's ultimate decision to accept it."
"Leo's initial rejection of the censure deal is consistent with his later arguments against it, showcasing his unwavering loyalty to Bartlet."
"Leo's initial rejection of the censure deal is consistent with his later arguments against it, showcasing his unwavering loyalty to Bartlet."
"Jordan's negotiation for a one-day window to sway Leo leads directly to her continued attempts to undermine his resistance with examples of trivial resolutions."
Themes This Exemplifies
Thematic resonance and meaning
Part of Larger Arcs
Key Dialogue
"LEO: "He didn't lie.""
"LEO: "You think I am so desperate to roll my ass, I'm gonna roll over on Jed Bartlet?""
"LEO: "I take a bullet for the President. He doesn't take one for me.""