Trama

President Kirkman negotiates with a foreign government to release an American being held overseas while the investigation of the hacker continues.

The US is in sensitive unofficial talks with the government of Bhutan regarding Bhutan's want to extract oil from an ecologically sensitive neighboring island which requires bipartisan approval and which the US will not grant. As leverage, Bhutan is holding an American citizen, Matthew Jennings, for some minor graffiti he did in Bhutan, he possibly sentenced to a lengthy and harsh prison term. While the US administration will not negotiate Matthew's release using the oil development as a bargaining chip, a diplomatic incident occurs at the White House which only inflames the situation, with the Bhutanese government blaming the American's for the incident. Matthew's life is at risk because of it. Mike and Chuck are tasked with trying to find out who was the cause of the incident at the White House and how to diffuse the issue with the Bhultanese government based on whatever their findings. Tom also learns that Matthew has new pro bono counsel whose sole mission is to free Matthew at any cost which may work against US policy on the matter. Meanwhile, Steven Flannery, Kendra's former boss and a mentor, is approached by Emily on Kendra's advice to fill a judge vacancy on the DC appellate court. In vetting Flannery, White House staff finds one "blip" in his history. In White House staff investigating that blip to see if it will affect his nomination, Kendra, based on that discovery, reviews her friend's nomination and their own history in a more critical light. And despite being fired, Hannah, in her loyalty to the President, continues to try and find conclusive evidence that Dr. Frost is the behind the series of hacks. In the process, she calls in help from a friend of Tom's and a White House staffer, the latter whose career could be on the line if it is discovered that he used White House resources to assist Hannah.—Huggo