Object

White House FEC Nominees Memorandum

This document is specifically used in Episode 19 of 'The West Wing' and pertains to Federal Election Commission nominees.

1 appearances

Purpose

To present and circulate the White House's official slate of nominees for the Federal Election Commission to Hill staff and stakeholders as an announcement and negotiating lever.

Significance

Acts as the immediate catalyst for political retaliation: announcing the nominees reframes the soft‑money debate as institutional corruption, converts Josh from tentative to resolute, and escalates the administration's confrontation with Congress by provoking threats of blocked confirmations and revived wedge‑issue legislation.

Appearances in the Narrative

When this object appears and how it's used

1 moments

S1E19 · Let Bartlet Be Bartlet

Josh Picks a Fight Over the FEC

The White House FEC Nominees List functions as the material provocation for the meeting: Josh names nominees from the administration roster (per canonical context, the list underwrites his announcement), converting an abstract policy fight into concrete personnel stakes that prompt leadership's hostile threats.

Before: Presumed in White House possession / ready as a briefing memo or list prepared for the meeting; authoritative printed page.

After: Remains a point of contention; still the administration's nominees (physically likely returned to Josh's control or left on the table), serving as the tangible trigger for subsequent White House-Hill conflict.

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