The Diplomat

Hal, listen to me.

- Say nothing. - He's dead, Katie.

- Don't tell them anything at all. - They know I was there.

- I was talking to the doctors. - What did you tell them?

- He... He was looking for a glass of water. - Was he dehydrated?

- He was thirsty. - He seemed dehydrated. Say it.

Yeah, he seemed dehydrated.

- Say as little as possible. You hear me? - Okay.

-As little as possible. - Okay.

Safe room.

Get Stuart to the embassy. Lock the perimeter.

Yes, ma'am.

- What happened? Get Billie. - Secure command...

That's not a secure line. This is a safe room, not a SCIF.

Swept and posted.

Is he dead? What the fuck happened?!

Repeat that?

Ma'am, President Rayburn died four minutes ago.

They secured the Speaker of the House?

Yes, ma'am.

This space can't support encrypted communications.

We're running a perimeter check to make sure the building is secure.

Then we'll set up a portable SCIF in a larger area.

- Okay. - Go ahead.

- Clear. Moving Arrow. - Confirm new status.

- Confirming. External secure. - External secure.

Mr. Hayford.

- Hi. - On my way to the embassy.

They're putting up a SCIF.

- Once you are in it, call Bert. - Yeah.

- Stay on the phone until we confirm... - SCIF is up.

Cell phones, please.

Oh.

I'm sorry, sir.

Security's in communication with the police about that,

but we need a service...

They have her?

Yeah.

Bert, it's Kate. I need more Met Police at the residence and outside the embassy.

Madam President.

- Heart attack? - They think.

Everyone sit down, please.

The pericarditis was back a couple weeks ago.

Loop in the gunny.

We thought it cleared up, but he doesn't sleep, drink water. And the fucking salt.

- Was he having chest pains? - I don't know.

- He was in a meeting in the Oval and-- - He was in here.

- In the sit room? - Stepped out to take a call in the Oval.

- Was he alone? - Agents outside saw him collapse.

Where are we with the security package?

Met police shut down the streets outside the residence.

I don't want their people. I want ours.

We'll have both. We're pulling a team from Rome.

- How long will that take? - Forever. Get her on a plane.

Who was he talking to?

Don't know. We're calling the switchboard.

They not picking up?

- They got a lot going on now. - That makes two of us.

- His detail knows. Is Craig in there? - Debriefing.

- I'm going to say we can interrupt. - It was my husband.

President Rayburn was on the phone with Hal.

I'd like to get the president out of here.

- I'd like to call him. - So you can get your story straight?

He's debriefing with half the White House. I think we want him quiet.

How about I won't talk to him? I'll call the chief of station.

Get the chief of station on the line.

- I'll do it. - No, you won't.

Is the chief of station in?

We can't put the president on the plane we have here.

It doesn't have the comms package. We're scrambling 747-9000.

- It's in-- - Washington.

- Billie. - 14 hours until she's back?

- More like 16. - No, not okay.

We need to swear her in, like now.

- Not on foreign soil. - On the plane?

- Is the plane America? - The plane is not America.

- When we hit American airspace? - That's 12 hours from now.

- The embassy is. It's American soil. - It's not.

People come to the embassy and claim asylum because it's American soil.

And they don't get it 'cause it's not.

She's already president. She was the moment he stopped breathing.

You don't want to explain the 25th amendment to North Korea.

You want a picture of her with one hand in the air and another on a Bible.

- You have to do it here. - I'm okay if you don't talk.

She's right. We need to do this within the hour.

- At Winfield. - Or the embassy.

It's formal. It's a ceremonial space.

Podium, a couple of flags, we're good to go.

- Or the embassy. - The move is a risk.

The embassy's a fortress with Marines and a moat.

Based on her analysis of my safety, she would strongly prefer no move.

The embassy is granite slabs and soaring ceilings

and a 12-foot eagle on the wall.

It is a not-at-all-subtle monument to American power.

Ma'am, we're not swearing you in in front of 18th-century hand-painted wallpaper.

It makes you look like someone's granny.

We're gonna do it at the embassy.

He was pulling at his, um...

- At his collar? - Yeah.

- Was he having trouble breathing? - Yeah. Absolutely.

- But earlier in the conversation. - It's hard to, uh, recall when, but...

Mr. Wyler, I'm Lyle Javits of DOJ.

Did the president mention his condition when the call began?

- "I'm tired"? - No.

"I have a headache"?

I'm trying to remember. Uh, no, I don't think he did.

You stated earlier to Dr. Colesco

that the president had complained of dehydration.

Yes.

Yes.

- Eidra. - We have an unspecified threat.

We'd like you to up your alert levels and put any eyes you can

on Winfield and the embassy.

It's unspecified to you, or you're not specifying it to me?

The latter.

They're coming here.

- When? - Now. And the ambassador's on the phone.

- I gotta go. Will you just... - Yeah.

- As soon as I can give you more, I will. - Yeah, go.

- Kate. - Where is he?

In the SCIF. He's talking to the doctors and the FBI.

- Get him out of there. - It's an important debrief.

- I will have him call you as soon as-- - No. I don't want to talk to him.

He can't be talking to anyone at all.

I can't interfere with them questioning the last guy--

How the fuck did he get on the phone with the president?

Howard set up the call.

I asked you to connect him to the secretary of state.

He was in your SCIF. How'd he place a call to the president?

I am not any happier than you are.

President Penn is changing locations and not yet secured.

Hal is rattled. He may share information that may compromise the president.

- What's he gonna say-- - Get him off the motherfucking line.

Howard.

Kill it.

- Who's gonna tell the country? - You.

Billie.

- She's the president. - She's not on the scene.

She's in a foreign capital taking refuge in a 46-room cream puff.

I'll handle it.

Or Liz can do it.

National security advisor is a less partisan figure.

Don't think anyone's gonna make a partisan read on this.

He didn't like you, Miguel. It's not going to be you.

Can we have the national security advisor step in?

Billie's the person he was closest to.

As a citizen, I'd want to hear it from her.

She was there, she talked to the doctors, she saw the body.

- It's you. - Yeah.

And now. Otherwise, we'll be dealing with conspiracy theories about why we waited.

- Okay. - Not till we move her.

She's right. No one's watching you now.

- How are you getting there? - Helos.

- Plural? - Yes.

They're here?

Go.

Fuck.

Yes, ma'am.

- What were you talking to him about? - It was private.

- Not anymore. - It doesn't matter. What's imp--

It matters to everyone in the world.

I am one of 400,000 people who will ask you

over the course of your life

what were you talking about when the president dropped dead?

Okay. You told me you wanted to place a call to the secretary of state.

Yes.

Did the president call you?

- No. - He didn't call the secretary.

He asked me to place a call to the White House switchboard instead.

- And you just did? - It's nothing to do with him.

That's actually not the case.

I didn't think we'd get him.

Eidra Park.

Ma'am.

Yes, I do. Tell the White House they're approaching the building now.

Number one, the Arrow has landed. Now secure.

Madam President. The White House would like a go for the announcement.

- Let's get her someplace she can watch it. - Give us 30 seconds to get her situated.

Hang on.

- Who we talking about? - We have a hold. Stand by.

Gary, is this perimeter or internal?

We're waiting on a security hold.

We'd like the president to watch the announcement.

Eidra Park?

No, I think it's a double-check, but we don't want anybody rushing.

- Lock it off. - She's in the building.

She's in a secure space inside the embassy.

Yes.

White House needs to go. Go is confirmed.

Eidra.

Ma'am.

The President of the United States has died.

President William Tresholdt Rayburn died 14 minutes ago at 7:42 a.m.

of cardiac arrest in the Oval Office.

He was 77 years old.

With the president, at the time of his death, were special agent...

The ambassador's office will be command and control.

...Catherine Stetson,

Dr. Tuesday Williamson of the White House Medical Unit, and myself.

Secure videos in the CIA station.