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Tim Matheson as John Hoynes, Allison Janney as C.J.
NBC Photo: Justin Lubin |
Written by: Lawrence O'Donnell, Jr., Directed by: Lesli Linka Glatter
- Broadcast: February 25, 2004
- C.J. is back on "The Whole Truth with Taylor Reid" Show and while she is on the live show, the host receives news that has him reading,
- "'The Sunday Times Magazine is going to run an in-depth profile of former Vice President John Hoynes who resigned as a result of a sex scandal. Hoynes cooperated with the Times and submitted to a tell-all interview in which he revealed that President Bartlet tried to talk him into staying in office.'" C.J. knew nothing about this and has nothing prepared to say in answer.
- Around the time C.J. gets back to the West Wing, Leo is asking Josh to sit in on a meeting with the Base Closing Commission
- "...to make sure the recommendations the commission gives the President on what military bases to close are not politically suicidal for us."
- And Toby is trying to meet with Labor representatives who accuse China of flooding the country with cheap goods made with slave labor. When Ed and Larry try to give him information, Toby tells them,
- "This meeting is about politics. Facts won't help."
In the middle of Toby's meeting Rena passes on a message and Toby excuses himself. When the people he's meeting wonder why, he tells them, "...Leo McGarry just ordered me into his office. And as much as I want to save your jobs, I have to save mine first if I'm going to be of any use to you at all."
- And C.J. meets with Leo about the upcoming Hoynes article, which no one has yet seen.
Tim Matheson as John Hoynes
NBC Photo: Justin Lubin |
"Was there any discussion of exactly how Hoynes could hang in there?"
"No, we just said that we didn't think he had to resign over having an affair...."
"Did you discuss any strategy on how to manage the scandal?"
"It never got that far..."
"I need a meeting with the President on this.... I can control this story, Leo. I can get us through this but only if you tell me everything I need to know...."
C.J. is adamant and when she leaves the room, Leo asks Toby, who came in in the middle, "She okay?"
"Well, you know she got blindsided by this Hoynes thing on live TV."
- C.J. finally gets together with the Times reporter who wrote the piece. He tells her that the leaks may be coming from Hoynes's publisher,
- "Publisher? Hoynes is writing a book?"
"Just got a $5 million advance. Must be saving some good stuff for it."
- On his way out, the reporter "accidentally" drops a Zip disc of his article on the floor of C.J.'s office and then negotiates with her while they both (mostly) (pointedly) ignore the dropped disc. C.J. doesn't promise the reporter as much as he wanted but enough for him to leave the disc on the floor and she reads the article and then has Carol print it out and deliver it to the President, Leo, Josh and Toby.
- "Can you believe this guy?" Toby asks Josh as the two finish their copies.
"Yeah, I can. This is the Hoynes I know: self-centered, self-important---"
- C.J. goes over things with the Leo and the President first and then the five of them discuss what this means and she tells them Hoynes is writing a book.
"He's going to make the book the final word on the scandal, hold his wife's hand on 'Oprah' and catch the next flight to Iowa," Josh tells them, speculating that Hoynes will run for President.
"And re-write history with the book," Leo says, having previously concluded that the book indicates Hoynes is running.
"His own version of every conversation we've ever had with him," Bartlet says.
- Will tells Leo, Josh, Toby, and C.J.
- "We got to take a shot at Hoynes. We got to let him know we have ways of fighting back.... We need a list.... A list of all his private on-the-job screw-ups. Every time Hoynes gave the President bad advice, every mistake he ever made, big and small.... We start leaking it to the press bit by bit."
"No, give it to me," C.J. says. "I'll fire a warning shot."
- When they have the list compiled, Toby goes over some of it with C.J.
- "He managed to offend seven South American Heads of State in a five day trip.... Promise me something."
"What?
"You'll never let them make a list of my screw-ups. They wouldn't have enough paper."
- Ed and Larry and Toby figure out what to do about China. Ryan comes up with a strange plan that affects Josh and the Base Closing Commission. And C.J. talks to Hoynes. When she gets back from an emotionally draining talk in which we discover some background between her and Hoynes, Toby tells her that the President is going to sign a bill with a school voucher amendment. C.J. says,
- "I leave the building for an hour and he switches parties."
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#515 "Full Disclosure"
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