Rooker Withdrawn — Political Fallout and C.J.'s Moral Alarm
Plot Beats
The narrative micro-steps within this event
C.J. comments on the uneasy quiet in the office as they await news about the Rooker nomination.
Leo announces the withdrawal of Rooker's nomination and shares the damaging political fallout, including a drop in approval ratings and African-American support.
C.J. reveals she is on a list of media figures being prayed for by Evangelicals, later realizing it's because they believe she's damned.
Who Was There
Characters present in this moment
Apologetic about his earlier judgment, worried about the security and political implications, but quickly shifts to proactive problem-solving.
Josh offers reassurance to Leo, then pulls Sam aside in the hallway to confess he'd been wrong, relays the NSA's visit about Donna's magazine remark and the temporary revocation of her credentials, then goes to the bullpen, greets Michael, and announces he is making phone calls—activating damage control.
- • Contain and remedy the security breach involving Donna.
- • Protect staff and the Administration from further political and classified-information damage.
- • Reassure colleagues and take concrete steps to limit exposure.
- • That staff loyalty and rapid administrative action can blunt institutional damage.
- • Security leaks compound political crises and must be treated urgently.
- • Personal mistakes, even accidental, have real political consequences.
Anxious and alarmed at the escalation, using flippant humor as a defensive cover to absorb and communicate the moral stakes.
C.J. breaks the heavy silence by revealing she was handed a '365 in Media' card, reads several names aloud and reframes the scandal as moral condemnation rather than ordinary political trouble, visibly unsettled but delivering the line with a mordant, defensive edge.
- • Alert the team to the cultural/moral dimension of the backlash.
- • Recast the Rooker fallout as not just political but as a sustained moral attack on administration figures.
- • Seek solidarity and reassurance from colleagues to blunt personal exposure.
- • That some constituencies interpret the scandal as moral evil, not mere politics.
- • Public moral framing (prayer lists, evangelicals) can amplify political damage beyond facts.
- • Naming the cultural antagonists focuses the team's response strategy.
Concerned but attempting to normalize the situation with humor and steady counsel.
Sam responds with wry levity to C.J.'s revelation, seeks the card and engages in light banter, then follows Josh into the hallway to hear about Donna's credential problem and offers practical, quietly supportive counsel.
- • Support colleagues emotionally while keeping focus on tactical responses.
- • Gather information to inform messaging and strategy.
- • Keep morale from collapsing into hysteria.
- • That team cohesion and quick thinking mitigate political damage.
- • Humor can relieve tension and clarify priorities.
- • Information is the currency for appropriate response.
Not applicable—mentioned as part of a list to indicate type of opposition.
Hugh Hefner is read aloud by C.J. as one of the names on the '365 in Media' card; he is used as an example of cultural figures targeted for moral condemnation.
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Concerned and resigned—he recognizes the political damage and answers with duty rather than spectacle.
Toby is present in the office, offers terse verbal support ('Yes.') and echoes the commitment to action ('We will.'), standing in solidarity but conveying resignation to the scale of the problem.
- • Support C.J. and the messaging team publicly.
- • Signal internal resolve to contain the fallout.
- • Preserve discipline within the communications response.
- • That rapid, disciplined messaging is required to limit damage.
- • The scandal threatens coalition support and must be contained.
- • Public reassurance from senior staff can steady the team.
Not directly depicted; represented as beleaguered by political fallout and reliant on staff containment.
The President is invoked by Leo as having withdrawn Rooker's nomination; he is not physically present but his decision and standing drive the meeting's stakes and staff reactions.
- • Limit political damage by withdrawing the nomination.
- • Stabilize approval and coalition support through corrective actions.
- • That withdrawing the nomination was necessary to prevent further erosion of support.
- • Polling and coalition loss are urgent matters requiring staff attention.
Sheepish and anxious about the credential revocation, yet outwardly upbeat and attempting normalcy to defuse personal shame.
Donna is at her desk with Michael, engaged in light banter with Josh about nicknames while wearing a relieved smile despite being told her credentials are revoked; she presents a brave, upbeat front masking embarrassment at the mistake.
- • Minimize the personal fallout and avoid panic.
- • Reassure her superiors that she'll cooperate with whatever is needed.
- • Preserve her job and relationships within the office.
- • That the mistake was inadvertent and can be fixed with help from colleagues.
- • Her social rapport with staff will help smooth over consequences.
- • She didn't realize the gravity of repeating the rumor.
Implied seriousness and procedural urgency; 'struck a little close to home' suggests alarm.
An unnamed NSA representative is reported by Josh to have visited him about Donna's magazine remark; the representative's presence (indirect) frames the clearance revocation as a national security concern.
- • Investigate potential security implications of the reported remark.
- • Protect classified information and assess any threat on White House grounds.
- • That even casual staff remarks can touch on sensitive intelligence matters.
- • Institutional protocol must be enforced to preserve security.
Not depicted directly; his past comments are the source of scandal and public backlash.
Cornell Rooker is referenced as the nominee whose name has been withdrawn; he is not present but functions as the catalyst for the polling collapse and public outrage discussed.
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Measured and collegial—he treats the issue as an administrative problem rather than drama, offering quiet support.
Michael sits with Donna at her desk as a calming presence from the Staff Secretary's Office, exchanges a handshake with Josh, and provides procedural and social support as the credential and investigation issue unfolds.
- • Ensure Donna receives fair procedural handling regarding her credentials.
- • Act as a liaison between the staff and administrative/security channels.
- • Keep routine order in the bullpen despite the larger crisis.
- • That administrative channels (Staff Secretary's Office) can manage the clearance issue.
- • Personal support from colleagues will help the affected staff cope.
- • Procedures exist and should be followed to resolve breaches.
Not directly depicted; invoked to show cultural framing.
Don Imus is cited by C.J. as another name on the prayer card, serving as shorthand for media figures targeted by evangelicals.
Grim and frustrated—he's angry about the self-inflicted damage and determined to corral the fallout efficiently.
Leo enters with authority, announces the withdrawal of Rooker's nomination, reads grim polling figures aloud, assesses electoral damage, and dismisses the staff to let him and the President manage the wound, projecting controlled fury and urgency.
- • Contain political fallout and preserve the President's standing.
- • Move staff from analysis to action and maintain chain-of-command.
- • Reassert control and limit further mistakes.
- • Polling and coalition support are immediate and consequential measures.
- • The Rooker affair materially weakened the administration's early standing.
- • Senior staff must execute disciplined, rapid responses to prevent further erosion.
Not applicable—used to illustrate the card's content.
Howard Stern is mentioned as part of the '365 in Media' list, illustrating the type of personalities evangelical organizers include as moral enemies.
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Objects Involved
Significant items in this scene
Leo's Farm States Polling Report Card is read aloud to quantify the political damage—approval and coalition losses—providing the factual backbone that grounds the emotional reactions and strategy scramble in the room.
Donna's teen‑magazine interview functions as the vector that propagated an offhand rumor about a missile silo on White House grounds, sparking an NSA visit and the revocation of her credentials. Narratively it transforms a private gaffe into an institutional security incident.
The alleged missile silo on White House grounds is referenced as the specific content that 'struck a little close to home' for intelligence officials; it is the objectified rumor that converts a gaffe into a possible classified concern and thus drives procedural action.
Donna's White House credentials are explicitly referenced and revealed to have been revoked temporarily as an administrative response to the security concern raised by her published remark; they operate as the concrete consequence of the leak.
Location Details
Places and their significance in this event
Josh's Bullpen is where the personnel fallout lands: Donna sits at her desk with Michael, their banter juxtaposes the personal and procedural, and Josh's physical arrival and handshake with Michael mark the start of active remediation.
The Northwest Lobby provides a brief transitional moment where Josh stops to think through the implications of what he is telling Sam about Donna's situation—it's a reflective, transitional space between strategic briefing and practical action.
Organizations Involved
Institutional presence and influence
The Staff Secretary's Office is present via Michael Gordon, who sits with Donna and functions as a procedural representative; through Michael the office participates in the personnel and credential response to the reported leak.
365 in Media appears through a physical prayer card given to C.J.; the organization frames media figures and administration staff as moral targets, transforming a political scandal into a moral crusade and amplifying reputational risk.
Evangelicals are implicated as the constituency praying against C.J. and, by extension, the administration; their mobilization is presented as both symbolic and politically consequential, evidenced by the '600,000' figure C.J. cites.
The New York Times Editorial Board is invoked as one of the names on the '365 in Media' card, symbolizing elite media criticism that compounds the scandal's visibility and legitimacy; their inclusion underscores mainstream media's role in shaping the narrative.
Narrative Connections
How this event relates to others in the story
"The political fallout from Rooker's withdrawal drives Bartlet's later decision to reallocate funds and accept the mistake."
"The political fallout from Rooker's withdrawal drives Bartlet's later decision to reallocate funds and accept the mistake."
"The political fallout from Rooker's withdrawal drives Bartlet's later decision to reallocate funds and accept the mistake."
Key Dialogue
"LEO: "The President has withdrawn Rooker's name from nomination.""
"LEO: "Our report card for our first two weeks in office. The President's approval has gone from 61% during the transition-- when, I suppose, there's nothing to approve-- to 49% once there was. 47% see him as a strong leader-- a result of bungling the Rooker nomination-- and African-American support, which basically elected him, has gone from 92 to 78.""
"C.J.: "600,000 Evangelicals are praying for me... so... we have that going for us.""
"C.J.: "They're not praying for me because they like me! It's 'cause I'm doomed to eternal damnation!""