Here Today
Encyclopedia
"Here Today" is episode 137 of The West Wing
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(WHCO). Toby tries to explain himself to C.J. but she painfully tells him she cannot discuss the matter any further with him without counsel present. An Associate Counsel comes to the office and Toby tells him the same thing he told C.J. The AC then has Toby come with him to the Roosevelt Room
which is cleared of junior staffers and wait for him to return with White House Counsel Oliver Babish. Toby contacts his attorney, Alana Waterman.
Once Oliver Babish shows up and kindly but relentlessly grills Toby about the leak, Toby is initially willing to incriminate himself but after Waterman arrives, she tells him he can either listen to her counsel to keep his mouth shut or watch as she quits as his lawyer, he keeps his mouth shut. Toby says repeatedly that he knew the information he leaked was classified and that he did not leak it at anyone's behest, nor did he work with anyone in the White House to leak the data. While Toby is being interviewed and his office is locked down and all of his materials sorted and taken away by the WHCO staff, C.J. makes a phone call to Leo McGarry but he is not available and she does not leave him a message. C.J. tells Oliver Babish this after the interview and he is relieved she didn't reach Leo, but warns her she had better have a good explanation for what she planned to tell him. She asks what his recommendation is regarding Toby, and he bluntly says "The same as yours". They go to the Oval Office and President Bartlet is stunned yet not completely surprised.
Oliver Babish says he shouldn't meet with Toby but the President says he has to do it himself. Toby does come to see the President (minus his attorney); the President angrily apologizes in advance for his remarks, then tears into Toby for thinking he's better than everyone else and that he seemed to be heading all along for this kind of crash and burn. Toby has a resignation letter, and the President snaps "What is that, the third one?" (reflecting the letter he wrote in Slow News Day
and the joke letter in Liftoff) and then says "Rip it up". He tells Toby he can't accept it, he has to fire him – for cause. Toby accepts this and turns to leave. The President then says "Toby?" and when he turns around makes this statement:
"When you walk out of here, there'll be people out there, perhaps a great many, who will think of you as a hero. I just don't for a moment want you thinking I'll be one of them."
Toby's face flashes anger but he leaves the Oval Office for the last time without a word.
C.J. goes to visit Will Bailey
in the Vice President's office and tells him he's been drafted to serve as the new White House Communications Director. Will expresses pain and surprise that Toby's being fired for leaking the data, despite their turbulent relationship. C.J. nearly breaks down in tears before pulling herself together and going back to the White House.
As Toby gives up his credentials, Oliver Babish sympathetically notes the President's anger and then says Toby should be thanked for his years of service. Secret Service Agents escort Toby from the White House forever as the episode ends.
The West Wing (TV series)
The West Wing is an American television serial drama created by Aaron Sorkin that was originally broadcast on NBC from September 22, 1999 to May 14, 2006...
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Plot
Immediately after Toby tells C.J. that he was responsible for leaking information about the military's top-secret space shuttle, C.J. contacts the White House Counsel's OfficeWhite House Counsel
The White House Counsel is a staff appointee of the President of the United States.-Role:The Counsel's role is to advise the President on all legal issues concerning the President and the White House...
(WHCO). Toby tries to explain himself to C.J. but she painfully tells him she cannot discuss the matter any further with him without counsel present. An Associate Counsel comes to the office and Toby tells him the same thing he told C.J. The AC then has Toby come with him to the Roosevelt Room
Roosevelt Room
The Roosevelt Room is a meeting room in the West Wing of the White House, the official home and principal workplace of the President of the United States. Located almost in the center of the West Wing, and near the Oval Office the room is named for two related U.S. presidents, Theodore Roosevelt...
which is cleared of junior staffers and wait for him to return with White House Counsel Oliver Babish. Toby contacts his attorney, Alana Waterman.
Once Oliver Babish shows up and kindly but relentlessly grills Toby about the leak, Toby is initially willing to incriminate himself but after Waterman arrives, she tells him he can either listen to her counsel to keep his mouth shut or watch as she quits as his lawyer, he keeps his mouth shut. Toby says repeatedly that he knew the information he leaked was classified and that he did not leak it at anyone's behest, nor did he work with anyone in the White House to leak the data. While Toby is being interviewed and his office is locked down and all of his materials sorted and taken away by the WHCO staff, C.J. makes a phone call to Leo McGarry but he is not available and she does not leave him a message. C.J. tells Oliver Babish this after the interview and he is relieved she didn't reach Leo, but warns her she had better have a good explanation for what she planned to tell him. She asks what his recommendation is regarding Toby, and he bluntly says "The same as yours". They go to the Oval Office and President Bartlet is stunned yet not completely surprised.
Oliver Babish says he shouldn't meet with Toby but the President says he has to do it himself. Toby does come to see the President (minus his attorney); the President angrily apologizes in advance for his remarks, then tears into Toby for thinking he's better than everyone else and that he seemed to be heading all along for this kind of crash and burn. Toby has a resignation letter, and the President snaps "What is that, the third one?" (reflecting the letter he wrote in Slow News Day
Slow News Day
-Plot:Toby watches a replay of the latest State of the Union address and notices that a powerful Republican Senator broke party ranks and applauded along with Democrats during President Bartlet's call for a higher minimum wage...
and the joke letter in Liftoff) and then says "Rip it up". He tells Toby he can't accept it, he has to fire him – for cause. Toby accepts this and turns to leave. The President then says "Toby?" and when he turns around makes this statement:
"When you walk out of here, there'll be people out there, perhaps a great many, who will think of you as a hero. I just don't for a moment want you thinking I'll be one of them."
Toby's face flashes anger but he leaves the Oval Office for the last time without a word.
C.J. goes to visit Will Bailey
Will Bailey
William "Will" Bailey, is a fictional character played by Joshua Malina on the television serial drama The West Wing, holding various posts in the White House Office of Communications, Office of the Vice President and a backbencher Congressman .-Character biography:Will grew up in Belgium, as his...
in the Vice President's office and tells him he's been drafted to serve as the new White House Communications Director. Will expresses pain and surprise that Toby's being fired for leaking the data, despite their turbulent relationship. C.J. nearly breaks down in tears before pulling herself together and going back to the White House.
As Toby gives up his credentials, Oliver Babish sympathetically notes the President's anger and then says Toby should be thanked for his years of service. Secret Service Agents escort Toby from the White House forever as the episode ends.
In other storylines:
- Kate Harper gives intelligence analyst Mr. Frost an ultimatum about never going near senior White House officials again, then goes over his theory that Al-Qaeda was behind the assassination of the President of Kazakhstan. Kate then comes up with new theory that the killing was organized by Russian security forces after China and Kazakhstan reached a strategic defense-energy partnership that would threaten Russian interests. She spends the rest of the episode trying to figure out what will happen next in Kazakhstan and what the effects could be for the region and the world.
- Lou Thornton confronts Josh about the Santos campaign's stagnant poll numbers and comes up with a long list of campaign workers she says need to be fired and replaced with more experienced operatives. Josh blanches at the inclusion of Ned Carlson on the list, as Ned was one of the only two staffers who was with Josh and Santos at the very beginning in New Hampshire. Josh brings the list to Matt Santos who says, to his wife's dismay, to make the changes. Ned will be reassigned to the Congressional office. Josh lets Ned know, and the staffer takes his firing very badly.
- President Bartlet returns from the Palestinian Chairman's funeral and laments the uselessness of his Vice Presidents. He and First Lady Abbey then find out their daughter Ellie is engaged to a scientist who specializes in fruit fly eggs. They're then stunned when Ellie discreetly lets them know that a near-term wedding is the right idea because in a few months people are going to notice that she's pregnant.