Scandal

My fellow Americans,

now that congress has fulfilled its constitutional duty,

completing their fair and thorough investigation

into my administration,

I come before you to say

how proud and humbled I am to be your president

and to say how sorry I am

to my family, to Mellie, to my children,

to every American,

most of all, to those parents out there.

Over the last few weeks, the news coming into your homes

raised questions from your children...

uncomfortable questions related to my personal life...

questions on topics

you may have been forced to answer too soon.

As your leader, as a father,

I am truly sorry for that.

I've asked the lord for forgiveness.

I ask the same of you.

And I will work tirelessly to be worthy of that forgiveness

by focusing on making your schools better,

your healthcare more affordable,

and our country safer and more productive.

Thank you.

We've just heard the first words from president Grant

since the end of the impeachment hearings.

Let's go right to Ashley Davidson,

who's at the White House.

Ashley, President Grant tends to shine in moments like these.

I'd say this was no exception.

No exception indeed, Noah.

The president wants to project that he's contrite,

but also that he's moving on,

and I think his pitch was perfect.

Let's be honest, this was a victory for the White House,

but President Grant made it very clear from his tone

that this is not a day to gloat.

To Congress.

May their heads one day depart from their asses.

I can't confirm, but I have a guy

who says they were blackmailed, the entire senate judiciary,

and the stuff on them was buried...

we're talking deep... black hole deep...

the kind of deep that no one ever finds...

the kind of deep that gets you

on the senate judiciary committee.

How'd you do it?

How the hell did you get that information

to end the impeachment?

You did something.

I don't want to lie to you.

Don't make me.

We're okay?

About what?

The wedding?

That wasn't the wedding we wanted.

We won, and now you get to date

the most eligible bachelor in the country.

That is something to celebrate.

- Thank you. - You're welcome.

I saw that you're making a speech

to the chiefs of police tomorrow.

Their annual conference, yeah.

So am I.

I could give you a ride in my motorcade if you want...

Unless you're already going with somebody else.

No. It's just me.

Surprisingly, not everyone wants to hang out

at the National Association of the Chiefs of Police.

Mr. President, we have an emergency.

How in the hell did they lose a prisoner?

They didn't lose him.

He walked right out the front door.

They had paperwork for his release.

What?! How?

We're looking into that, sir.

But it was the perfect escape. And there's more.

800 miles away, a few hours later,

paperwork for Tom Larsen was received and processed.

Damn it, Cy.

Are you telling me Rowan escaped from federal prison

and then just, what,

went through the supermax drive-thru

to pick up his favorite killer?

Sir...

My father escaped?

He's out?

Don't worry. We'll find them.

I'll start making calls.

I don't know how this happened,

but we'll get to the bottom of it, okay?

I promise you.

Dad?

Not so lucky.

This wine isn't very good.

Sit down.

What are you doing here?

I don't know a lot about wine, but this is terrible.

I said sit down.

Sit down!

You know what I admire about Rowan?

He doesn't claim to be anything he's not.

He knows what he is.

He revels in it.

You...

you preach about wearing some dumb, white hat.

You think if you feel bad for a while and drink some wine

and take in strays, it will wipe away the...

are you blind, Olivia, or do you refuse to see,

or do you really not know what you are?

You're drunk and mad.

I think you should go.

He killed Elise.

Elise is dead.

My wife... she's dead.

He killed her.

Actually, it was you.

You freed Rowan.

Rowan put a bullet in her back.

Now she's dead.

So you killed her.

Oh, you didn't think about that.

Do the math.

Factor in the people your father had killed in the past...

all those people.

Maybe estimate the dead people yet to come.

Really, Olivia?

You didn't think about the body count you'd rack up

when you let a mass murderer and his crazy sidekick

out of prison?!

Jake, if I had known,

if I had thought for even a second...

The woman I loved killed the woman I used to love,

or the woman I used to love killed the woman I love!

I can't figure it out.

I am so tired of being our father's son.

But you don't get tired, do you?

You just keep going, spreading like a plague.

How does someone as brilliant and as accomplished as you

not know what you are, who you are?

What?

You?

We all heard that Rowan gave up on you a long time ago,

that he'd failed, and that's why

he started training us as these sons.

But I think we got it wrong.

You just let a murderer out of prison,

not for the good of the Republic,

but because you wanted to,

because it personally served you.

And I don't see any impeachment hearings,

and I don't see a wedding ring on that finger.

You are Rowan's greatest achievement.

You have become exactly the woman he raised you to be...

power-hungry, entitled, dangerous.

And the beauty of it is, you don't even know it.

You're grieving, and I'm so sorry for that.

But I want you to go...

Now!

Cyrus...

Uh, Mr. President

I've been thinking, sir,

after these impeachment hearings,

we need a plan to reset your image.

I thought you could head to Peru for the inter-American summit.

It will get you out of the country for a week.

You're very popular in Latin America.

It's a good, high-profile visual.

I already have a plan, Cy.

I'm thinking small.

You're thinking small?

Small, easily digestible, bite-sized achievements...

tax credits for small business,

increased penalties for financial fraud,

funding for...

Firefighters.

Funding for firefighters, things like that...

- small. - Medal.

And I'm awarding

the Presidential Medal of Freedom today

to a feminist icon.

What's a better visual for my image than that?

Let's make it a real event, push the networks to take it live.

Hi, Liv.

Hi, Cyrus.

A client just walked into O.P.A.

Someone actually wants to hire us.

Well, that's one piece of good news.

Go.

If we find Rowan, I'll call you.

Okay.

Sir, I have been told

you called off the FBI search for Rowan.

I decided to go another way.

Another way?

Yes.

The ceremony is going to be televised live,

but everything will still go just as we rehearsed.

Don't worry.

Besides, if there's anyone who deserves