Trust Issues
Sam was in the Mess, and Helen asked a Secret Service agent to escort him to the Residence.
"Good evening, ma'am," Sam greeted Helen. "Donna! What a lovely surprise! What can I do for you, ma'am?"
"Take a seat, Sam. And while you are at it you could lose the ma'am," Helen quipped. "I'm here as Matt Santos's wife and Donna is here because she is Josh's significant other. So… lose the ma'am."
"Yes, ma'am. I mean Helen," Sam said with a grin. "What can I do for you?"
"Sam, is there something going on? Something that would warrant sleepless nights?" Helen asked him without further ado.
"Well, apart from tonight's situation we have two bills coming up for vote," Sam said. "There is the Children with Disabilities bill, but I guess Donna keeps you informed about that, and the Computer Crime Bill."
"The Computer Crime Bill is smooth sailing, right?" Donna asked.
"Yeah, that's something Republicans and Democrats agree upon," Sam said. "We have the votes, it's bipartisan."
"And the other one?" Helen asked. "Is there something that might cause trouble?"
"Well, that's a tricky one, ma'am, but you knew that," Sam admitted. "Josh set everyone on it, and we all know how important this bill for you is. Josh also told us to do everything to make this bill pass, well everything without giving away the shop. I think Amy might have missed that memo," Sam said, throwing an apologetic look at Donna. "The bill soon became a Christmas tree bill, but it's okay since there are all kinds of attachments that are important. However, there is a study on visitation for first-time offender fathers and that got the President… Well, no better word for it, 'riled up'. It's not that it isn't important; it's just not what the bill is about. We accepted the other attachments because they were about children with disabilities, mental or physical. But visitation rights? And the President was rather adamant the first time something like this happened. He said he didn't want it happen again. Seems like Amy might have missed that memo too," Sam added with a sarcastic undertone.
"You mean he had a nutty about it in the Oval?" Helen asked.
"Did you spend some time with Ainsley Hayes lately, ma'am?" Sam asked, eying Helen suspiciously.
"It's Helen, and yes. What gave it away?"
"The word 'nutty,'" Sam said with a grin. "Yeah, he had a nutty about it in the Oval. Josh took the heat as he always does, as Chiefs of Staff always do," Sam explained, and Helen nodded. She was already used to this; Donna always took the heat from her, no matter who made the mistake. "It's just harder to swallow it since it wasn't Josh who gave Amy her job," Sam said.
"I know," Helen said with a sigh. "If I hadn't promised not to use the 'wife-card' about staff decisions, I'd have spoken up, Sam," she added then explanatory.
"Yes, ma'am," Sam said.
"He should threaten to veto it if the study doesn't get off," Donna said.
"Yeah, it's our own bill, or rather it's your bill," Sam corrected himself, "And he doesn't want to do it. It's the First Lady's first bill, and he wanted to help. Also, it was us who said yes to that study."
"Well, congress adjourns the day after the vote," Helen said, eliciting a smile from her Chief of Staff.
"You are thinking about a pocket veto?" Sam asked taken aback. "Ma'am, it's your bill. And the President really wants it to become law."
"Not in its current shape and form," Helen said with the shake of her head.
"Well, give us a chance to handle this before you suggest it to the President, ma'am," Donna said.
"Josh already talked to him about it," Sam said.
"Aha!" Helen exclaimed. "And the puzzle comes together."
"Yes, ma'am," Sam said with a nod.
"And Matt refused," Helen stated.
"Well, yes, ma'am," Sam confirmed a bit reluctantly.
"So the solution would be to somehow detach that study from the bill. Couldn't we give them something else instead?"
"It's Grace Norman and Patty Hamilton, ma'am," Donna explained. "They are big on first-time offenders, it's their hobbyhorse. They think first-time offenders are a special species or something. That they can save those souls from Hell, or something like that," she added. "They don't care that we already have laws to help first-time offenders, they want to victimize them."
"I see," Helen said.
"What do we do about Josh and the President?" Donna got back to the original topic.
"Well, I just wish the President could hear Josh," Sam said. "Today in staff he told us to get off the study or else face his wrath. I think he managed to scare Lou. The first time since the campaign, I might add."
"Yeah," Donna said with an emphatic nod.
"Okay, we obviously need some time to think about this," Helen summed it up. "We'll meet here tomorrow for brunch. Get those creative juices flowing, Sam. We'll need every suggestion you can come up with."
"Yes, ma'am," Sam said, sounding almost meekly and then left the Residence.
TBC