“In the Shadow of Two Gunmen, Part II” · Season 2
In this episode: C.J. Cregg (3), Toby Ziegler (2), Josiah Bartlet (1), Leo McGarry (1), Margaret Hooper (1), Ron Butterfield (1), Steve (1)
We're confirming now that a suspect is in custody, and is being questioned by federal law enforcement . At this time, we cannot, we are not releasing any information whatsoever about the suspect.
Can you tell us anything, his name, where he's from, his ethnicity, if you guys suspect a motive?
Yes, Steve, I can tell you those things, because when I said that we weren't releasing any information whatsoever, I meant except his name, his address, his ethnicity, and what we think his motives are.
[flashback]
Come join the campaign.
How much does it pay?
How much were you making before?
$550,000 a year.
This pays $600 a week.
So this would be less.
Can I - can I just say something for the future?
Yeah.
I can sign the President's name. I have his signature down pretty good.
You can sign the President's name?
Yeah.
On a document removing him from power and handing it to someone else?
Yeah. Or... do you think the White House Counsel would say that was a bad idea?
I think the White House Counsel would say it was a coup d'etat!
Well...I'd probably end up doing some time for that.
I would think! And what the hell were you doing practicing the President's signature?
It was just for fun.
We've got separation of powers, checks and balances, and Margaret vetoing things and sending them back to the Hill!
This is our fifth press briefing since midnight. Obviously, there's one story that's going to dominate news around the world for the next few days, and it would be easy to think that President Bartlet, Joshua Lyman, and Stephanie Abbott were the only victims of a gun crime last night. They weren't. Mark Davis and Sheila Evans of Philadelphia were killed by a gun last night. He was a biology teacher and she was a nursing student. Tina Bishop and Linda Larkin were killed with a gun last night. They were 12. There were 36 homicides last night. 480 sexual assaults, 3,411 robberies, 3,685 aggravated assaults, all at gunpoint. And if anyone thinks those crimes could have been prevented if the victims themselves had been carrying guns, I'd only remind you that the President of the United States was shot last night while surrounded by the best trained armed guards in the history of the world. Back to the briefing.
[flashback]
Tonight, what began on the commons in Concord, Massachusetts, as an alliance of farmers and workers, of cobblers and tinsmiths, of statesmen and students, of mothers and wives, of men and boys, lives two centuries later as America! My name is Josiah Bartlet, and I accept your nomination for the Presidency of the United States!
C.J.'s starting to get some questions about why the President's exit wasn't covered in Rosslyn.
The Secret Service doesn't comment on procedure.
Yeah. Ron, a few weeks after the President was sworn in, you got a memo about his protection.
Yeah.
It said he wanted to enter and exit in the open air, and he didn't like the feeling of traveling around in an armored tank.
Yeah.
Specifically, it said he wouldn't use the tent or the canopy anymore.
Yeah.
I wrote that memo, and the President signed it at my urging.
I know.
Ron, I don't think it's right that the Secret Service get blamed for what happened last night, I want the Treasury Department to hand over my memo to the Press.
No, we can't do that.
There are going to be a lot of questions.
There are always a lot of questions.
Ron.
Don't worry about it, Toby.
It's not right. You're the guys - look at your hand.
My hand is fine.
Your hand is not fine.
Toby.
Let me go over there and tell them it was my fault.
It wasn't your fault.
Ron.
It wasn't your fault. It wasn't Gina's fault, it wasn't Charlie's fault, it wasn't anybody's fault, Toby. It was an act of madmen. You think a tent was going to stop them? We got the President in the car. We got Zoey in the car. And at a hundred and fifty yards, five stories up, the shooters were down nine point two seconds after the first shot was fired. I would never let you not let me protect the President. You tell us you don't like something, we figure out something else. It was an act of madmen. Anyway, the Secret Service doesn't comment on procedure.
Okay.
[Butterfield walks away.]
Good job last night.
Thank you.
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