Scandal (2012–2018): Season 4, Episode 14 - The Lawn Chair - full transcript
A tragedy in D.C. gains national attention and the White House must deal with their problematic VP.
- I'm fine.
- I don't think you are.
I'm fine.
It's been two days. Are
you talking to somebody?
You need to talk about
it, what happened to you,
to someone.
You need a... War buddy.
Even the biggest, baddest
Navy Seals have war buddies.
I'm not there... at the talking stage.
I'm just tired, so I'm resting.
- Resting?
- Yes, resting.
- Uh-huh, not working?
- No.
Look, 'cause you're the kind
of person that would do that...
- This is it...
- Dive back into work like nothing ever happened.
I'm in bed right now, and
I'm pretty sleepy, so...
Okay.
If you are resting, I
guess I'll let you go.
I'll call you tomorrow.
- Olivia.
- Chief Connors.
Thanks for coming down. I
heard you weren't available.
Wasn't sure I'd get you.
What's his name?
Brandon Parker, 17.
Matched the description
of a suspected shoplifter
a couple blocks away.
Officer stops to question him,
kid pulls a knife, officer shoots him...
well within his rights and now we've got
a dead black kid put there
by a white police officer.
You need me to handle the optics?
I run a clean force.
The last thing I want is a
riot that sets my city on fire.
How long has the body been here?
Half an hour. Waiting for the coroner.
The coroner needs to get here fast.
You need to move that body
out of the street as soon as possible.
We are four short blocks from the Capitol,
within the shadow of the White House.
One misstep...
Bring me the cop who shot my son!
- Sir, I need you to put that down gun.
- We need some backup down here.
- Tell your men to stand down.
- I can't do that.
- Chief Connors.
- Where's Mitchell? Mitchell!
- Chief Connors.
- Widen the perimeter.
- Bring me the cop who shot my son.
- Get those gawkers back as far as possible!
Every one of these
bystanders has a cellphone
with a camera built in.
You shoot that man,
you'll be famous worldwide
in under 10 minutes.
I'm not leaving until
you bring me that cop.
- Put the gun down, Sir.
- Come on, Connors.
No! Lower your weapon... now!
Sir! Sir!
Mr. Parker!
Name's Clarence.
Hi, Clarence.
I'm Olivia. I'm here to help you.
I thought we could talk.
- Are the one that killed my son?
- No, Sir.
Then I don't have anything to say to you.
I understand you want answers,
but without access to the crime scene...
Crime scene?
One of them murdered my son.
How do you think cops who murdered my son
are gonna handle the crime scene?
The Attorney General of the United States
is a friend of mine.
If I can get him down here
to oversee the investigation,
make sure the evidence stays intact,
make sure everything's handled properly,
is that something you
would be interested in?
You can get the Attorney
General of the United States
- down here?
- I can.
Who are you?
Olivia Pope.
I can get the Attorney General here.
I can, but I need you to
hand over the gun first.
No.
Mr. Parker!
No one gets my gun.
Cop shot a kid.
Father just showed up with a shotgun,
won't let the cops near
the body until he talks
to the officer who killed his son.
You need one of my A.U.S.A.S down there?
I promised him you, David.
I'm the Attorney General
of the United States.
You can't just promise me to
people. You need to come down here.
I don't think you
understand how bad this is.
And I don't think you
understand how the law works.
- I have a meeting.
- David!
So, the question is, can we
replace the vice president?
Unfortunately, the
constitution doesn't cover
the incapacitation of a vice president,
which leaves you with two options,
the first of which is impeachment
for high crimes and misdemeanors.
We can't impeach him. How would that look?
With all due respect, Mr. President,
the man did try to overthrow
the United States government.
Which no one would believe
now that he's a pumpkin.
Which leaves the second option,
section 2 of the 25th amendment,
which says that whenever there's a vacancy
in the vice president's position,
the president can fill the post.
We can argue that,
even though he's alive, this
is essentially a vacancy.
It's a reach, but I think it's doable.
- Then go do it.
- Yes, Sir.
In terms of a replacement...
What do you think of Abernathy or Bascombe?
You promised the world a bold second term,
not two more scoops of vanilla.
I am tired of my vice presidents
trying to overthrow me.
Those two are loyal, competent...
and as old as the hills.
They're one cigarette away
from joining Andrew in the stroke ward.
Mellie's next. I promised her.
She doesn't need the competition.
Do you know what an uphill battle
it's going to be for Mellie
to go from being first
lady to being president?
Call Bascombe and Abernathy.
I want them both vetted.
There's an awful lot of cops.
We need them to keep these people back.
It's for their own safety, Olivia.
- The man's got a gun.
- Yeah, but he's not gonna shoot them.
These people are his
neighbors, his supporters.
They're the last people
he's interested in hurting.
- Can't take any risks.
- Olivia Pope.
Assistant U.S. attorney Ellison
from the Attorney General's office.
- I asked for David Rosen.
- He sent me.
- How can I help?
- You can get me David Rosen.
He's not available.
Mr. Parker!
- Damn it.
- Who's that?
Can I come over there?
Neighborhood activist.
He's given us trouble before.
- He can't.
- Sir, get back here! Sir!
My name is Marcus Walker.
- Sir, you need to stay back.
- I'm using my cellphone
to record everything
that's happening right now.
You will not shoot me! You cannot shoot me!
You're being recorded!
- Get him out of there!
- I need to go in.
I can't let you do that, Olivia.
Chief Connors, I can take care of
this for you, but I need to go in.
Tell your men to stand
down and let me go in.
Stand down!
Excuse me.
Can I help you?
- Marcus Walker.
- Olivia Pope.
- I'm sorry, but you can't be out here.
- Mr. Parker is my neighbor.
He drove me home from the hospital
when I was three days old.
We really need you back by behind the tape.
I want Marcus to stay.
Mr. Parker wants me to stay.
Okay.
Mr. Parker, I called in that favor.
See that woman down there?
She's with the Justice Department.
She's gonna oversee the investigation,
make sure everything is done by the book.
- You said you could get the Attorney General down here.
- I know.
- I did. But I spoke with him directly...
- Do you mind if I ask who hired you?
And Ms. Ellison is
authorized to handle this.
You now you have the support and
oversight of the federal government,
but you're going to have
to put the gun down now.
Let us take your son out of the street,
have him looked at by the medical examiner.
Who hired you?
She's helping me out, Marcus.
Helping you and cashing a check
from the Washington Metro police?
Impressive. What's the going
rate for playing both sides?
I'm working to defuse the situation,
to get to the bottom of what happened,
to give Mr. Parker what he
wants without any more violence.
Well, that's your first mistake,
thinking this situation
needs to be defused.
She's telling you to trust her,
yet she couldn't deliver on
the only thing she promised you.
Mr. Parker, put the gun
down and come with me.
That's the only way this works.
I brought this for you.
Just want you to be comfortable.
Because if you leave here,
if you put that gun down,
you're giving up on the only power
you'll ever have in this situation.
And she wouldn't be here
unless you had lots of power.
I'm not the enemy.
Are you sure?
Mr. Parker.
In case it rains or something.
I want him to be protected...
From the elements.
Good for you, baby!
That's right!
I said, "can you hear me?"
Yes!
Can the DCPD hear us?
Yes!
Can the caring, thoughtful citizens
of these great United States hear us?
Yes!
Tell me who I'm dealing with.
Marcus Walker, neighborhood activist.
Born and raised in the
Rosemead District of D.C.,
graduated with honors from Georgetown.
Hosts a popular podcast on civil rights,
runs a job-placement program
for at-risk kids in southeast D.C.
We speak for Brandon Parker!
And we ask,
when will the people we pay to protect us
stop gunning us down in the streets?!
What about Clarence?
Bank clerk for the past
22 years at RBHayes.
Uh, record clean, taxes
paid, shotgun is registered.
Raised Brandon by himself
after his wife, Janice,
died 12 years ago from breast cancer.
Brandon was supposed to graduate
from high school in June,
had a part-time job delivering supplies
for a hardware store on the hill.
Brandon deserves answers!
His father, Clarence, deserves answers!
We demand answers, too!
Will we leave this corner
without those answers?
No!
Let Brandon Parker hear you!
No!
Stand up! We fight back!
Stand up! Fight back!
No more black men under attack!
Stand up! Fight back!
No more black men under attack!
Stand up! Fight back!
No more black men under attack!
Stand up! Fight back!
No more black men under attack!
Stand up! Fight back!
No more black men under attack!
Stand up! Fight back!
No more black men under attack!
Stand up! Fight back!
No more black men under attack!
Stand up! Fight back!
No more black men under attack!
Protestors joining Clarence Parker,
calling for justice in the wake
of Brandon Parker's shooting
by police officers late last evening.
All of this, of course, happening
only about a mile away
from the White House.
It's clearly a local matter, and as such,
is being and should be
handled by local authorities.
Even though it's basically happening
- in the president's own backyard?
- Asked and answered. Carol.
Why aren't the police releasing
the shooting officer's name?
- I need to say something.
- You can't say anything.
- I'm getting pummeled out there.
- She's right, Cy.
It can't look like I'm behind the curve.
Anything you say right now
will end up vilifying law enforcement.
I was on duty.
I, uh, heard over the radio
that a kid had just shoplifted a cellphone
from a store on Ambrose
Street I'm driving on.
About 10 seconds later, I see him walking.
How do you know it's the same kid?
I don't, of course, not at first.
I just see he's he's... he's got
a cellphone box in his hand.
Uh, it's sleek. It's brand-new.
So I call into the station
to get a description of the kid...
uh, African-American, 5'10", medium build,
- around 20.
- That describes every kid in the neighborhood.
Yeah, that's why I didn't arrest him.
I-I just... I just stopped
and asked him where he got it,
and he became hostile.
He said, uh, it was none of my business.
You think about calling for backup then?
Uh, I-I didn't feel he was
dangerous at that point.
See, ma'am, I-it's my job to interact
with the people in this neighborhood.
I-I like to think I'm pretty good at it.
So I just asked the kid
if I could see the box.
Next thing I know, he's
he's charging at me,
he's... he's reaching in
his coat pocket for a knife.
And you saw the knife.
And you fired because you
thought your life was in danger.
That is the only reason
I would ever discharge my weapon.
So, what happened to the
knife? Where is it now?
It must be on the boy, at the crime scene.
I called for backup as soon as I fired.
I was first on the scene.
Jeff was devastated,
just sitting in his car.
I just can't stop thinking
about my own kids, Ms. Pope.
How I would be feeling right
now if I were that boy's father.
I need you to check
security-camera footage
from all of the businesses on Ambrose.
See if you can find
footage that corroborates
- Officer Newton's story.
- Which is... ?
He had to shoot Brandon Parker
because he feared for his life.
On it.
What's his name?
The cop who gunned down Brandon Parker.
You know why you're here, right?
You know why they chose you.
Give us the cop's name.
- Help us get justice.
- You don't want justice.
You want anger. You want outrage.
You want retribution.
Huh.
You're right. I do.
So should you.
That is a father.
That is his dead son.
This is not your stand to make, Marcus.
This isn't a platform.
You're not auditioning
to become America's next
great black activist.
If this erupts,
if a father is gunned
down right next to his son,
will you be able to sleep at night?
- Nice purse.
- What?
Prada?
What's your point?
Probably worth a year's rent at my place,
'cause I live right around the corner.
This block, these people are home.
Uh-huh.
We live in the same city, Olivia,
but this is probably the first time
you ever stepped foot on this block.
Probably never been to this neighborhood
except to get grits from Reggie's
or chicken and Greens off of Wade Street.
You have no idea what I'm about.
You're about getting a white
republican president elected...
twice.
Excuse me if I don't buy
you're a real down-ass chick.
Big picture... you and
I want the same thing.
You're just taking the path of
most resistance to get there.
It's not smart.
We don't want the same thing.
You want to put it to bed quietly,
tell everyone on the hill
that you came down to
the Hood and you saved us.
No thanks, Olivia.
Your black card's not
getting validated today.
As tension continues to mount
in the standoff between police
and the father of slain
black teenager Brandon Parker,
BNC has learned the name
of the officer involved in the shooting...
Jeffrey Newton, a 32-year-old
decorated 9-year veteran
of the Washington Metro police department.
It's unclear why Newton's identity
was withheld by the police.
Calls for comment have gone unanswered.
They're turning Parker into a hero,
and we look like the enemy.
These so-called neighborhood activists,
they're not helping.
Next thing you know,
there's gonna be a riot.
Press will eat that up.
They want a riot.
No, before it goes too far,
I'm clearing out this mob
and shutting this thing down.
I'm gaining control.
I get it.
The other side threw a good punch,
you're bruised, but if you strike back,
if you start a fight,
you're just the bully.
There is a dead child lying in the street
in front of their homes.
What would you do if
there was a dead child,
a child you knew, lying in the street
in front of your home?
The fact that they stand in groups
and say things you do not like
does not make them a mob...
it makes them Americans.
You hired me to tell you what to do.
I'm telling you do nothing.
You found his name and leaked it.
That was low.
So is shooting an unarmed kid.
Mrs. Grant!
Hello!
- Susan Ross.
- Ah.
Senator. I'm from Virginia.
Oh, Susan, it's so nice to see you.
Thanks.
Uh, I've been thinking a lot
about vaccination protocols.
Oh.
Just, uh, take the measles.
When you get sick with the measles,
it confers lifelong immunity
from getting measles again...
assuming you didn't die.
But unlike when you actually get sick,
when you get a vaccine,
you need booster shots
to keep your immunity up.
Now, there's a whole
population of people out there
who think they're
protected, but they're not.
- That is a shame.
- It is. Take genital warts.
Let's not.
Oh.
I'm Rosalyn Mendez, the
Governor of New Mexico,
and I'm posting this video tonight
because I can't sleep.
Three miles from my hotel,
Clarence Parker is sitting
over the body of his son, Brandon.
Those of you who know me and voted for me
- already know my story.
- What is this, Cy?
- Just keep watching.
- But there's a part of it
i-I don't spend a whole
lot of time talking about.
It's the part when I was growing up
and I saw how my parents were treated,
how they had their
paychecks stolen from them,
how they knew people
who had been beaten to death in the fields,
and the police never did
anything about any of it
because they were from
Mexico, so they didn't matter.
So I want to say to Clarence Parker
and all those communities in this country
where the police make you
feel like you don't matter,
we all matter...
every one of us.
She's saying everything I
wish I could say but can't.
Not unlike a vice president.
Cyrus.
She's a republican.
And a woman and a minority.
I made Mellie a promise.
Yes, but you also made a promise
at the beginning of this term
to be the best damn president you could be.
This is the future of our party.
All we need to do is get out of her way.
No more black men under attack!
Stand up! Fight back!
No more black men under attack!
Stand up! Fight back!
No more black men under attack!
I brought you a hoagie.
I'm not hungry, Ms. Pope.
I never let Brandon leave the house
without saying where he was going.
I never fell asleep
until I heard his key turn in the lock.
No being around girls.
We fought about that one... a lot.
It may sound so simple to you,
but I just kept saying to
myself, "get him to 18".
"Get him a diploma.
Don't let him end up dead, locked up."
There was a thrift store
down on Browning road.
I used to buy Brandon
old portable radios, TVs,
calculators
cheap crap...
'cause he loved taking stuff apart,
seeing how it worked.
He always had a mind
for that kind of thing.
He was gonna do the apprentice thing
after graduation and become
an electrical contractor.
And even though he wasn't going to college,
I put a university of Maryland sticker
on my truck anyway so if
he ever got pulled over,
the cops wouldn't think
he was just a thug...
Without a f...
without a future.
All that...
And there he is,
laid out in the cold street, dead.
We're gonna get to the bottom of this.
And then you can bury your son.
That sounds real good, Ms. Pope.
But you and I both know that this only ends
with me dead or locked up...
'Cause that's just the
way things go around here.
Hey, how's it going down there?
Not good.
Do we have footage of the shooting?
Not yet. Huck's still on it.
We'll find something.
Call me as soon as you do.
All press behind the barricade now.
Quinn, what are you seeing on TV?
Anything about the protest?
Just something about the vice president.
I got to go.
I know what you're doing
shutting down the press.
We need to separate the protestors
from the reporters in order to protect...
Yourselves, right?
So that when you go into that crowd
armed with your riot
gear and your tear gas,
the world won't be watching?
Instead they'll be focused on, what,
the vice president's
stroke anything except this?
I hired you to handle the optics,
and now the optics
are behind that barricade,
where they belong.
That's what we wanted, Olivia.
That's a good thing.
Whose side are you on here?
Not yours.
No more black men under attack!
Stand up! Fight back!
No more black men under attack!
Stand up! Fight back!
No more black men under attack!
Stand up! Fight back!
No more black men under attack!
Stand up! Fight back!
No more black men under attack!
Stand up! Fight back!
No more black men under attack!
Stand up! Fight back!
No more black men under attack!
Stand up! Fight back!
No more black men under attack!
Stand up! Fight back!
Tell Officer Hogan to
hold off on the riot gear.
Stand up! Fight back!
No more black men under attack!
Why did you meet with the
governor of new Mexico?
Because Governor Martinez
has been outspoken on
this Clarence Parker mess.
I wanted to hear her thoughts.
I know a vetting when I see one.
You and Cyrus were giving
her the once-over for V.P.
Cyrus thought it would be a good idea.
- That does not mean she's the right person for the job.
- You told me
you were gonna pick someone
boring and unelectable.
I prostituted myself
so that you would get your mistress back,
and now you're gonna take
someone young and charismatic
and female and Latina
and make her the Vice
President of the United States?
How dare you?
What happened to my turn?
We had a deal, Fitz.
Stand up! Fight back!
No luck on the surveillance tapes?
Nothing faces the street
except for the bank, and I just found out
the police were there last night,
and they took the tapes,
the backups... everything.
The DCPD has been sitting on footage
of the shooting all day?
If they haven't released
it yet, that means...
It didn't happen the way they said it did.
I can't help you. I wish I could.
I need to see that tape, David.
I need to see what happened!
I'm assuming you were
hired by the Metro Police.
Maybe just... I don't
know ask them for a copy.
- I can't.
- You can't?
- I quit.
- Quit, or were you fired?
David. I can't just go marching
into every sensitive situation
trying to rush the justice process.
There are laws, okay?
Ones I'm being paid by the
U.S. government to uphold.
To protect people who look like you!
Oh, come on, Liv!
You talk about fairness and justice
like it's available to everybody!
It's not!
That man standing over his son's body
thinks he knows he's going to end up
in one of two places...
a jail cell or a drawer in the morgue.
And to hell if I can't look him in the eye
and tell him he's wrong.
I can't fix this, David!
I-I have nothing left,
no more tricks in my bag.
It's too much!
It's too...
You're exhausted.
After everything you've just been through,
this is the last thing
you should be dealing with.
I thought I was going to die.
For about a week straight,
I thought I was a goner.
I lived in complete and total fear.
I know.
Imagine feeling like that
every single day of your life.
What is it you want?
A subpoena.
Sources say the Justice Department
served the DCPD with a subpoena today
for surveillance footage.
The police are saying
your son pulled a knife on the officer.
Did you see a knife?
I don't.
Then what was he pulling out of his pocket?
How should I know?
All I know is he doesn't
carry a damn knife.
We can check for a knife.
But we'd have to move your son.
Let me help you.
He doesn't carry a knife.
Mr. Parker, I think it
might be time to go home.
Grieve your son.
He doesn't carry a knife.
He doesn't carry a knife!
- He doesn't carry a knife!
- Whoa, whoa, whoa! Whoa! Mr. Parker!
- Get on the ground now!
- He doesn't carry a knife!
- Lower your weapon now, or we will be forced to shoot!
- Come on, Mr. Parker.
He doesn't carry a knife.
No! Do not shoot!
This man just needs some space right now.
Right, Mr. Parker?
We're all just gonna give you some space.
He doesn't carry a knife.
Marcus and I are gonna step away now,
and when we do,
I need you to lower your gun.
Okay?
Can you do that, Mr. Parker?
Nice and slow.
That's it. That's it.
That's it.
He doesn't carry a knife!
The mandatory curfew is now in effect.
Disperse immediately. Report to your homes.
Stand up! Fight back!
No more black men under attack!
They're gonna pump these
people full of tear gas.
They'll confront Clarence.
If he doesn't surrender, they'll shoot him.
They just need to be prepared
for what happens after that.
Well, I don't want to think about it.
I can't watch the city burn.
Curfew is in effect.
Crowd must disperse immediately.
On its second day,
the crowd has grown both
in size and in level...
Where is she?
Little late for a drop-in, Cy.
- Where's Mellie?
- Why?
Because I just got a call from the times
asking for comment on
Rosalyn Mendez for V.P.
And you think I leaked it?
You're damn right! I do!
They're digging into
her past, finding dirt.
Well, I didn't.
But she was dirty, Cyrus.
It was gonna come out sooner or later.
Later I could've handled.
Later I would've spun.
But now... now it's out there.
All right, Cy. Enough.
Mendez is off the table.
I can't sell a V.P. Who
sends her own constituents
to a prison she owns.
We'll deal with it in the morning!
I didn't do it.
I know.
I did.
And that video
was a naked power grab
if I've ever seen one.
She'd be just as bad as Sally
and Andrew, if not worse.
Besides, you were right. We had a deal.
So...
Let's pick a V.P. Who
won't get in your way.
I have one.
She's perfect.
Competent?
Yes. And completely unelectable.
This clears Newton.
Yeah. Sucks.
How did Liv look? She must be exhausted.
- You two let her go down there?
- She's fine.
Fine? She's on the other end
of a grieving dad's shotgun
while pissed-off cops aim a
hundred automatics at his head.
You think that's a good place
for her to be after the
hell she's been through?
It's Liv.
Okay, I don't get this.
Brandon yells at Newton,
reaches for something.
Newton opens fire.
Knife found at the scene.
- What's that?
- Surveillance footing at the shooting.
Which appears to completely
exonerate the cops,
but they were just sitting on the tape.
Maybe they were just holding on to it,
waiting to release it
when things calm down.
Or maybe they were hiding something.
All right. Play it again.
We found a shadow.
- What?
- In the back of the cop car
in the bank's security footage.
I wasn't sure what I
was looking at at first,
- so we zoomed in and...
- Talk faster or say less.
It was a person.
Okay.
Newton made an arrest an hour before.
There's no record showing
the perp was booked,
but we looked into it and...
See that shadow moving in the backseat?
That's the missing suspect.
The suspect had a knife.
The knife was never officially
booked into evidence, so...
No more black men under attack!
I think I know where that knife ended up.
Who else knew?
- I don't know what you're talking about.
- I'm talking about
the perp in the back
seat of your patrol car...
the one you arrested last night,
the one whose knife you
planted on Brandon Parker
when you realized he was unarmed,
the one you let go in
exchange for his silence.
Was it just you, or did anyone else
help you hide the fact you're a murderer?
I think you'd better leave.
Or what?
You'll shoot me?
What the hell is this, Chief?
The Attorney General, David Rosen.
And these agents are here
to question Phillip Durant,
the man you picked up last night.
Then I imagine they'll have
a few questions for you.
We found him at a convenience store,
buying lottery tickets.
I guess he was feeling lucky.
- I don't believe this.
- You don't want to talk, that's fine.
We'll use your friend Phillip's testimony.
- This is over.
- God, what the hell is it with you people?
"Us people"?
Yeah, you people... I didn't misspeak.
You people have no idea
what loyalty is, what respect is.
You're here because you
were supposed to help us,
and you spent every second
of it trying to tear us down,
tear me down, push your own damn agenda!
I'm here to find the truth!
The truth is,
those people in Rosemead have no respect
for anything or anyone.
No, they're like you.
They just take whenever they want,
and they have no problem
turning their backs
on the people who gave it
to them... people like me,
who strap on their boots every day,
kiss their wife and kids goodbye,
and trek 40 miles into
a city where everyone,
including little babies,
are taught to look at us like the enemy!
They are taught to
question me, to disobey me,
and still I risk my life for these people.
Every day for seven years,
I have allowed myself
to be disrespected and
hated by these people,
all to protect them from themselves.
I mean, all I hear about
on the news are dirty cops,
cops who shoot innocent black kids.
It's crap!
There were 84 murders
in this city last year.
Were all of those cops
shooting innocent black boys?
Hell no.
Those were blacks turning
guns on each other,
and yet somehow I'm the animal!
Brandon Parker is dead
because he didn't have respect,
because those people out there
who are chanting and crying over his body,
they didn't teach him the right values.
They didn't teach him respect.
He didn't respect me. He
didn't respect my badge.
Questioning my authority was not his right!
His blood is not on my hands!
It's just... I can't
believe I'm really here,
the Oval Office.
I still feel that way, every day.
Me too.
It's kind of smaller than
I thought it would be,
though studies have shown
people actually were smaller
back when the White House was built.
Researchers have discovered
that the average height
of an American soldier
during the revolutionary
war was about 5'7",
though Thomas Jefferson was 6'2".
Susan, do you know why you're here?
I think I can guess,
which is why I brought
the presentation materials
on my vaccination proposal.
I also had a few thoughts on tax reform
that I'd love to discuss with you,
but we don't have to do it all tonight.
Susan, I've asked you here
because I'd like to offer
you the vice presidency.
What?
The president is asking you
to be his new vice president.
Why?
"Why?"
I'm a terrible choice. I just got elected.
That's why I'm asking you.
This town has a way of taking people
and turning them into politicians.
I don't want a politician.
But if I were the vice president
and then something happened to you...
Then you would be president.
But I don't want to be president.
I mean, no offense, but
your job is the worst job
in the entire world.
No, actually, vice president
is probably worse
because you don't actually
get to do anything, do you?
And I want to get things done.
There's so much to do...
not just on the vaccination front,
but we need a new tax
code and budget reform,
and there's the war in West Angola
and the war right here at
home, five minutes away.
Have you seen it on TV?
That poor man whose son
was shot dead in the street.
Oh, my God.
If anything like that
ever happened to Casey,
my daughter she's 10.
If anything like that
ever happened to her...
but of course she's white
and the daughter of a senator,
so the police are
actually gonna think twice
before shooting her.
But that poor man,
he raised that boy all by himself.
Can you even imagine what he
is going through right now?
I can't. I would die.
I would literally die on the spot.
I would have to kill myself.
Oh, my gosh.
Oh, my gosh, I'm so sorry.
Of course you know.
Of course you do. You
know more than anyone.
See?
This is why you don't want
me to be vice president.
I'm terrible at this, at talking to people
and not saying what I'm
thinking at all times.
I think we could probably use
a little more of that around here.
Now
Tell me about this
vaccination plan of yours.
Tonight, Officer Jeffrey Newton
was arrested for altering evidence,
perjury, and filing a false report.
He and fellow Officer Edward Brennan
have also been charged with
conspiracy to obstruct justice.
In light of these charges,
the Justice Department,
under my supervision
and with the full cooperation
of Metro Police Chief Lawrence Connors,
will open an independent
federal investigation
into the Washington, D.C., Police Force.
But even given these
actions, I don't stand up here
pretending justice has been served tonight.
Brandon Parker is still gone.
This is what Brandon was reaching for.
This is what was in his pocket...
the receipt for his new cellphone.
You were right. He didn't have a knife.
He had a piece of paper.
The officer who shot
your son is behind bars.
No one is going to arrest you, Mr. Parker.
Let's go.
Where are we going?
This isn't my neighborhood.
No, it's not.
Tonight, a young man's potential
was cut tragically short.
Another American community
is looking for answers,
and another father is knowing
the unbearable pain of losing a child.
Jack, please. Give us a moment.
Mr. Parker.
I am so sorry for your loss.
Please...
Call me Clarence.
My son's name was...
Brandon.
Ours is a country of laws,
but those laws failed
Brandon Parker tonight.
And I can only hope in the weeks ahead,
we can begin to understand why.
- I don't think you are.
I'm fine.
It's been two days. Are
you talking to somebody?
You need to talk about
it, what happened to you,
to someone.
You need a... War buddy.
Even the biggest, baddest
Navy Seals have war buddies.
I'm not there... at the talking stage.
I'm just tired, so I'm resting.
- Resting?
- Yes, resting.
- Uh-huh, not working?
- No.
Look, 'cause you're the kind
of person that would do that...
- This is it...
- Dive back into work like nothing ever happened.
I'm in bed right now, and
I'm pretty sleepy, so...
Okay.
If you are resting, I
guess I'll let you go.
I'll call you tomorrow.
- Olivia.
- Chief Connors.
Thanks for coming down. I
heard you weren't available.
Wasn't sure I'd get you.
What's his name?
Brandon Parker, 17.
Matched the description
of a suspected shoplifter
a couple blocks away.
Officer stops to question him,
kid pulls a knife, officer shoots him...
well within his rights and now we've got
a dead black kid put there
by a white police officer.
You need me to handle the optics?
I run a clean force.
The last thing I want is a
riot that sets my city on fire.
How long has the body been here?
Half an hour. Waiting for the coroner.
The coroner needs to get here fast.
You need to move that body
out of the street as soon as possible.
We are four short blocks from the Capitol,
within the shadow of the White House.
One misstep...
Bring me the cop who shot my son!
- Sir, I need you to put that down gun.
- We need some backup down here.
- Tell your men to stand down.
- I can't do that.
- Chief Connors.
- Where's Mitchell? Mitchell!
- Chief Connors.
- Widen the perimeter.
- Bring me the cop who shot my son.
- Get those gawkers back as far as possible!
Every one of these
bystanders has a cellphone
with a camera built in.
You shoot that man,
you'll be famous worldwide
in under 10 minutes.
I'm not leaving until
you bring me that cop.
- Put the gun down, Sir.
- Come on, Connors.
No! Lower your weapon... now!
Sir! Sir!
Mr. Parker!
Name's Clarence.
Hi, Clarence.
I'm Olivia. I'm here to help you.
I thought we could talk.
- Are the one that killed my son?
- No, Sir.
Then I don't have anything to say to you.
I understand you want answers,
but without access to the crime scene...
Crime scene?
One of them murdered my son.
How do you think cops who murdered my son
are gonna handle the crime scene?
The Attorney General of the United States
is a friend of mine.
If I can get him down here
to oversee the investigation,
make sure the evidence stays intact,
make sure everything's handled properly,
is that something you
would be interested in?
You can get the Attorney
General of the United States
- down here?
- I can.
Who are you?
Olivia Pope.
I can get the Attorney General here.
I can, but I need you to
hand over the gun first.
No.
Mr. Parker!
No one gets my gun.
Cop shot a kid.
Father just showed up with a shotgun,
won't let the cops near
the body until he talks
to the officer who killed his son.
You need one of my A.U.S.A.S down there?
I promised him you, David.
I'm the Attorney General
of the United States.
You can't just promise me to
people. You need to come down here.
I don't think you
understand how bad this is.
And I don't think you
understand how the law works.
- I have a meeting.
- David!
So, the question is, can we
replace the vice president?
Unfortunately, the
constitution doesn't cover
the incapacitation of a vice president,
which leaves you with two options,
the first of which is impeachment
for high crimes and misdemeanors.
We can't impeach him. How would that look?
With all due respect, Mr. President,
the man did try to overthrow
the United States government.
Which no one would believe
now that he's a pumpkin.
Which leaves the second option,
section 2 of the 25th amendment,
which says that whenever there's a vacancy
in the vice president's position,
the president can fill the post.
We can argue that,
even though he's alive, this
is essentially a vacancy.
It's a reach, but I think it's doable.
- Then go do it.
- Yes, Sir.
In terms of a replacement...
What do you think of Abernathy or Bascombe?
You promised the world a bold second term,
not two more scoops of vanilla.
I am tired of my vice presidents
trying to overthrow me.
Those two are loyal, competent...
and as old as the hills.
They're one cigarette away
from joining Andrew in the stroke ward.
Mellie's next. I promised her.
She doesn't need the competition.
Do you know what an uphill battle
it's going to be for Mellie
to go from being first
lady to being president?
Call Bascombe and Abernathy.
I want them both vetted.
There's an awful lot of cops.
We need them to keep these people back.
It's for their own safety, Olivia.
- The man's got a gun.
- Yeah, but he's not gonna shoot them.
These people are his
neighbors, his supporters.
They're the last people
he's interested in hurting.
- Can't take any risks.
- Olivia Pope.
Assistant U.S. attorney Ellison
from the Attorney General's office.
- I asked for David Rosen.
- He sent me.
- How can I help?
- You can get me David Rosen.
He's not available.
Mr. Parker!
- Damn it.
- Who's that?
Can I come over there?
Neighborhood activist.
He's given us trouble before.
- He can't.
- Sir, get back here! Sir!
My name is Marcus Walker.
- Sir, you need to stay back.
- I'm using my cellphone
to record everything
that's happening right now.
You will not shoot me! You cannot shoot me!
You're being recorded!
- Get him out of there!
- I need to go in.
I can't let you do that, Olivia.
Chief Connors, I can take care of
this for you, but I need to go in.
Tell your men to stand
down and let me go in.
Stand down!
Excuse me.
Can I help you?
- Marcus Walker.
- Olivia Pope.
- I'm sorry, but you can't be out here.
- Mr. Parker is my neighbor.
He drove me home from the hospital
when I was three days old.
We really need you back by behind the tape.
I want Marcus to stay.
Mr. Parker wants me to stay.
Okay.
Mr. Parker, I called in that favor.
See that woman down there?
She's with the Justice Department.
She's gonna oversee the investigation,
make sure everything is done by the book.
- You said you could get the Attorney General down here.
- I know.
- I did. But I spoke with him directly...
- Do you mind if I ask who hired you?
And Ms. Ellison is
authorized to handle this.
You now you have the support and
oversight of the federal government,
but you're going to have
to put the gun down now.
Let us take your son out of the street,
have him looked at by the medical examiner.
Who hired you?
She's helping me out, Marcus.
Helping you and cashing a check
from the Washington Metro police?
Impressive. What's the going
rate for playing both sides?
I'm working to defuse the situation,
to get to the bottom of what happened,
to give Mr. Parker what he
wants without any more violence.
Well, that's your first mistake,
thinking this situation
needs to be defused.
She's telling you to trust her,
yet she couldn't deliver on
the only thing she promised you.
Mr. Parker, put the gun
down and come with me.
That's the only way this works.
I brought this for you.
Just want you to be comfortable.
Because if you leave here,
if you put that gun down,
you're giving up on the only power
you'll ever have in this situation.
And she wouldn't be here
unless you had lots of power.
I'm not the enemy.
Are you sure?
Mr. Parker.
In case it rains or something.
I want him to be protected...
From the elements.
Good for you, baby!
That's right!
I said, "can you hear me?"
Yes!
Can the DCPD hear us?
Yes!
Can the caring, thoughtful citizens
of these great United States hear us?
Yes!
Tell me who I'm dealing with.
Marcus Walker, neighborhood activist.
Born and raised in the
Rosemead District of D.C.,
graduated with honors from Georgetown.
Hosts a popular podcast on civil rights,
runs a job-placement program
for at-risk kids in southeast D.C.
We speak for Brandon Parker!
And we ask,
when will the people we pay to protect us
stop gunning us down in the streets?!
What about Clarence?
Bank clerk for the past
22 years at RBHayes.
Uh, record clean, taxes
paid, shotgun is registered.
Raised Brandon by himself
after his wife, Janice,
died 12 years ago from breast cancer.
Brandon was supposed to graduate
from high school in June,
had a part-time job delivering supplies
for a hardware store on the hill.
Brandon deserves answers!
His father, Clarence, deserves answers!
We demand answers, too!
Will we leave this corner
without those answers?
No!
Let Brandon Parker hear you!
No!
Stand up! We fight back!
Stand up! Fight back!
No more black men under attack!
Stand up! Fight back!
No more black men under attack!
Stand up! Fight back!
No more black men under attack!
Stand up! Fight back!
No more black men under attack!
Stand up! Fight back!
No more black men under attack!
Stand up! Fight back!
No more black men under attack!
Stand up! Fight back!
No more black men under attack!
Stand up! Fight back!
No more black men under attack!
Protestors joining Clarence Parker,
calling for justice in the wake
of Brandon Parker's shooting
by police officers late last evening.
All of this, of course, happening
only about a mile away
from the White House.
It's clearly a local matter, and as such,
is being and should be
handled by local authorities.
Even though it's basically happening
- in the president's own backyard?
- Asked and answered. Carol.
Why aren't the police releasing
the shooting officer's name?
- I need to say something.
- You can't say anything.
- I'm getting pummeled out there.
- She's right, Cy.
It can't look like I'm behind the curve.
Anything you say right now
will end up vilifying law enforcement.
I was on duty.
I, uh, heard over the radio
that a kid had just shoplifted a cellphone
from a store on Ambrose
Street I'm driving on.
About 10 seconds later, I see him walking.
How do you know it's the same kid?
I don't, of course, not at first.
I just see he's he's... he's got
a cellphone box in his hand.
Uh, it's sleek. It's brand-new.
So I call into the station
to get a description of the kid...
uh, African-American, 5'10", medium build,
- around 20.
- That describes every kid in the neighborhood.
Yeah, that's why I didn't arrest him.
I-I just... I just stopped
and asked him where he got it,
and he became hostile.
He said, uh, it was none of my business.
You think about calling for backup then?
Uh, I-I didn't feel he was
dangerous at that point.
See, ma'am, I-it's my job to interact
with the people in this neighborhood.
I-I like to think I'm pretty good at it.
So I just asked the kid
if I could see the box.
Next thing I know, he's
he's charging at me,
he's... he's reaching in
his coat pocket for a knife.
And you saw the knife.
And you fired because you
thought your life was in danger.
That is the only reason
I would ever discharge my weapon.
So, what happened to the
knife? Where is it now?
It must be on the boy, at the crime scene.
I called for backup as soon as I fired.
I was first on the scene.
Jeff was devastated,
just sitting in his car.
I just can't stop thinking
about my own kids, Ms. Pope.
How I would be feeling right
now if I were that boy's father.
I need you to check
security-camera footage
from all of the businesses on Ambrose.
See if you can find
footage that corroborates
- Officer Newton's story.
- Which is... ?
He had to shoot Brandon Parker
because he feared for his life.
On it.
What's his name?
The cop who gunned down Brandon Parker.
You know why you're here, right?
You know why they chose you.
Give us the cop's name.
- Help us get justice.
- You don't want justice.
You want anger. You want outrage.
You want retribution.
Huh.
You're right. I do.
So should you.
That is a father.
That is his dead son.
This is not your stand to make, Marcus.
This isn't a platform.
You're not auditioning
to become America's next
great black activist.
If this erupts,
if a father is gunned
down right next to his son,
will you be able to sleep at night?
- Nice purse.
- What?
Prada?
What's your point?
Probably worth a year's rent at my place,
'cause I live right around the corner.
This block, these people are home.
Uh-huh.
We live in the same city, Olivia,
but this is probably the first time
you ever stepped foot on this block.
Probably never been to this neighborhood
except to get grits from Reggie's
or chicken and Greens off of Wade Street.
You have no idea what I'm about.
You're about getting a white
republican president elected...
twice.
Excuse me if I don't buy
you're a real down-ass chick.
Big picture... you and
I want the same thing.
You're just taking the path of
most resistance to get there.
It's not smart.
We don't want the same thing.
You want to put it to bed quietly,
tell everyone on the hill
that you came down to
the Hood and you saved us.
No thanks, Olivia.
Your black card's not
getting validated today.
As tension continues to mount
in the standoff between police
and the father of slain
black teenager Brandon Parker,
BNC has learned the name
of the officer involved in the shooting...
Jeffrey Newton, a 32-year-old
decorated 9-year veteran
of the Washington Metro police department.
It's unclear why Newton's identity
was withheld by the police.
Calls for comment have gone unanswered.
They're turning Parker into a hero,
and we look like the enemy.
These so-called neighborhood activists,
they're not helping.
Next thing you know,
there's gonna be a riot.
Press will eat that up.
They want a riot.
No, before it goes too far,
I'm clearing out this mob
and shutting this thing down.
I'm gaining control.
I get it.
The other side threw a good punch,
you're bruised, but if you strike back,
if you start a fight,
you're just the bully.
There is a dead child lying in the street
in front of their homes.
What would you do if
there was a dead child,
a child you knew, lying in the street
in front of your home?
The fact that they stand in groups
and say things you do not like
does not make them a mob...
it makes them Americans.
You hired me to tell you what to do.
I'm telling you do nothing.
You found his name and leaked it.
That was low.
So is shooting an unarmed kid.
Mrs. Grant!
Hello!
- Susan Ross.
- Ah.
Senator. I'm from Virginia.
Oh, Susan, it's so nice to see you.
Thanks.
Uh, I've been thinking a lot
about vaccination protocols.
Oh.
Just, uh, take the measles.
When you get sick with the measles,
it confers lifelong immunity
from getting measles again...
assuming you didn't die.
But unlike when you actually get sick,
when you get a vaccine,
you need booster shots
to keep your immunity up.
Now, there's a whole
population of people out there
who think they're
protected, but they're not.
- That is a shame.
- It is. Take genital warts.
Let's not.
Oh.
I'm Rosalyn Mendez, the
Governor of New Mexico,
and I'm posting this video tonight
because I can't sleep.
Three miles from my hotel,
Clarence Parker is sitting
over the body of his son, Brandon.
Those of you who know me and voted for me
- already know my story.
- What is this, Cy?
- Just keep watching.
- But there's a part of it
i-I don't spend a whole
lot of time talking about.
It's the part when I was growing up
and I saw how my parents were treated,
how they had their
paychecks stolen from them,
how they knew people
who had been beaten to death in the fields,
and the police never did
anything about any of it
because they were from
Mexico, so they didn't matter.
So I want to say to Clarence Parker
and all those communities in this country
where the police make you
feel like you don't matter,
we all matter...
every one of us.
She's saying everything I
wish I could say but can't.
Not unlike a vice president.
Cyrus.
She's a republican.
And a woman and a minority.
I made Mellie a promise.
Yes, but you also made a promise
at the beginning of this term
to be the best damn president you could be.
This is the future of our party.
All we need to do is get out of her way.
No more black men under attack!
Stand up! Fight back!
No more black men under attack!
Stand up! Fight back!
No more black men under attack!
I brought you a hoagie.
I'm not hungry, Ms. Pope.
I never let Brandon leave the house
without saying where he was going.
I never fell asleep
until I heard his key turn in the lock.
No being around girls.
We fought about that one... a lot.
It may sound so simple to you,
but I just kept saying to
myself, "get him to 18".
"Get him a diploma.
Don't let him end up dead, locked up."
There was a thrift store
down on Browning road.
I used to buy Brandon
old portable radios, TVs,
calculators
cheap crap...
'cause he loved taking stuff apart,
seeing how it worked.
He always had a mind
for that kind of thing.
He was gonna do the apprentice thing
after graduation and become
an electrical contractor.
And even though he wasn't going to college,
I put a university of Maryland sticker
on my truck anyway so if
he ever got pulled over,
the cops wouldn't think
he was just a thug...
Without a f...
without a future.
All that...
And there he is,
laid out in the cold street, dead.
We're gonna get to the bottom of this.
And then you can bury your son.
That sounds real good, Ms. Pope.
But you and I both know that this only ends
with me dead or locked up...
'Cause that's just the
way things go around here.
Hey, how's it going down there?
Not good.
Do we have footage of the shooting?
Not yet. Huck's still on it.
We'll find something.
Call me as soon as you do.
All press behind the barricade now.
Quinn, what are you seeing on TV?
Anything about the protest?
Just something about the vice president.
I got to go.
I know what you're doing
shutting down the press.
We need to separate the protestors
from the reporters in order to protect...
Yourselves, right?
So that when you go into that crowd
armed with your riot
gear and your tear gas,
the world won't be watching?
Instead they'll be focused on, what,
the vice president's
stroke anything except this?
I hired you to handle the optics,
and now the optics
are behind that barricade,
where they belong.
That's what we wanted, Olivia.
That's a good thing.
Whose side are you on here?
Not yours.
No more black men under attack!
Stand up! Fight back!
No more black men under attack!
Stand up! Fight back!
No more black men under attack!
Stand up! Fight back!
No more black men under attack!
Stand up! Fight back!
No more black men under attack!
Stand up! Fight back!
No more black men under attack!
Stand up! Fight back!
No more black men under attack!
Stand up! Fight back!
No more black men under attack!
Stand up! Fight back!
Tell Officer Hogan to
hold off on the riot gear.
Stand up! Fight back!
No more black men under attack!
Why did you meet with the
governor of new Mexico?
Because Governor Martinez
has been outspoken on
this Clarence Parker mess.
I wanted to hear her thoughts.
I know a vetting when I see one.
You and Cyrus were giving
her the once-over for V.P.
Cyrus thought it would be a good idea.
- That does not mean she's the right person for the job.
- You told me
you were gonna pick someone
boring and unelectable.
I prostituted myself
so that you would get your mistress back,
and now you're gonna take
someone young and charismatic
and female and Latina
and make her the Vice
President of the United States?
How dare you?
What happened to my turn?
We had a deal, Fitz.
Stand up! Fight back!
No luck on the surveillance tapes?
Nothing faces the street
except for the bank, and I just found out
the police were there last night,
and they took the tapes,
the backups... everything.
The DCPD has been sitting on footage
of the shooting all day?
If they haven't released
it yet, that means...
It didn't happen the way they said it did.
I can't help you. I wish I could.
I need to see that tape, David.
I need to see what happened!
I'm assuming you were
hired by the Metro Police.
Maybe just... I don't
know ask them for a copy.
- I can't.
- You can't?
- I quit.
- Quit, or were you fired?
David. I can't just go marching
into every sensitive situation
trying to rush the justice process.
There are laws, okay?
Ones I'm being paid by the
U.S. government to uphold.
To protect people who look like you!
Oh, come on, Liv!
You talk about fairness and justice
like it's available to everybody!
It's not!
That man standing over his son's body
thinks he knows he's going to end up
in one of two places...
a jail cell or a drawer in the morgue.
And to hell if I can't look him in the eye
and tell him he's wrong.
I can't fix this, David!
I-I have nothing left,
no more tricks in my bag.
It's too much!
It's too...
You're exhausted.
After everything you've just been through,
this is the last thing
you should be dealing with.
I thought I was going to die.
For about a week straight,
I thought I was a goner.
I lived in complete and total fear.
I know.
Imagine feeling like that
every single day of your life.
What is it you want?
A subpoena.
Sources say the Justice Department
served the DCPD with a subpoena today
for surveillance footage.
The police are saying
your son pulled a knife on the officer.
Did you see a knife?
I don't.
Then what was he pulling out of his pocket?
How should I know?
All I know is he doesn't
carry a damn knife.
We can check for a knife.
But we'd have to move your son.
Let me help you.
He doesn't carry a knife.
Mr. Parker, I think it
might be time to go home.
Grieve your son.
He doesn't carry a knife.
He doesn't carry a knife!
- He doesn't carry a knife!
- Whoa, whoa, whoa! Whoa! Mr. Parker!
- Get on the ground now!
- He doesn't carry a knife!
- Lower your weapon now, or we will be forced to shoot!
- Come on, Mr. Parker.
He doesn't carry a knife.
No! Do not shoot!
This man just needs some space right now.
Right, Mr. Parker?
We're all just gonna give you some space.
He doesn't carry a knife.
Marcus and I are gonna step away now,
and when we do,
I need you to lower your gun.
Okay?
Can you do that, Mr. Parker?
Nice and slow.
That's it. That's it.
That's it.
He doesn't carry a knife!
The mandatory curfew is now in effect.
Disperse immediately. Report to your homes.
Stand up! Fight back!
No more black men under attack!
They're gonna pump these
people full of tear gas.
They'll confront Clarence.
If he doesn't surrender, they'll shoot him.
They just need to be prepared
for what happens after that.
Well, I don't want to think about it.
I can't watch the city burn.
Curfew is in effect.
Crowd must disperse immediately.
On its second day,
the crowd has grown both
in size and in level...
Where is she?
Little late for a drop-in, Cy.
- Where's Mellie?
- Why?
Because I just got a call from the times
asking for comment on
Rosalyn Mendez for V.P.
And you think I leaked it?
You're damn right! I do!
They're digging into
her past, finding dirt.
Well, I didn't.
But she was dirty, Cyrus.
It was gonna come out sooner or later.
Later I could've handled.
Later I would've spun.
But now... now it's out there.
All right, Cy. Enough.
Mendez is off the table.
I can't sell a V.P. Who
sends her own constituents
to a prison she owns.
We'll deal with it in the morning!
I didn't do it.
I know.
I did.
And that video
was a naked power grab
if I've ever seen one.
She'd be just as bad as Sally
and Andrew, if not worse.
Besides, you were right. We had a deal.
So...
Let's pick a V.P. Who
won't get in your way.
I have one.
She's perfect.
Competent?
Yes. And completely unelectable.
This clears Newton.
Yeah. Sucks.
How did Liv look? She must be exhausted.
- You two let her go down there?
- She's fine.
Fine? She's on the other end
of a grieving dad's shotgun
while pissed-off cops aim a
hundred automatics at his head.
You think that's a good place
for her to be after the
hell she's been through?
It's Liv.
Okay, I don't get this.
Brandon yells at Newton,
reaches for something.
Newton opens fire.
Knife found at the scene.
- What's that?
- Surveillance footing at the shooting.
Which appears to completely
exonerate the cops,
but they were just sitting on the tape.
Maybe they were just holding on to it,
waiting to release it
when things calm down.
Or maybe they were hiding something.
All right. Play it again.
We found a shadow.
- What?
- In the back of the cop car
in the bank's security footage.
I wasn't sure what I
was looking at at first,
- so we zoomed in and...
- Talk faster or say less.
It was a person.
Okay.
Newton made an arrest an hour before.
There's no record showing
the perp was booked,
but we looked into it and...
See that shadow moving in the backseat?
That's the missing suspect.
The suspect had a knife.
The knife was never officially
booked into evidence, so...
No more black men under attack!
I think I know where that knife ended up.
Who else knew?
- I don't know what you're talking about.
- I'm talking about
the perp in the back
seat of your patrol car...
the one you arrested last night,
the one whose knife you
planted on Brandon Parker
when you realized he was unarmed,
the one you let go in
exchange for his silence.
Was it just you, or did anyone else
help you hide the fact you're a murderer?
I think you'd better leave.
Or what?
You'll shoot me?
What the hell is this, Chief?
The Attorney General, David Rosen.
And these agents are here
to question Phillip Durant,
the man you picked up last night.
Then I imagine they'll have
a few questions for you.
We found him at a convenience store,
buying lottery tickets.
I guess he was feeling lucky.
- I don't believe this.
- You don't want to talk, that's fine.
We'll use your friend Phillip's testimony.
- This is over.
- God, what the hell is it with you people?
"Us people"?
Yeah, you people... I didn't misspeak.
You people have no idea
what loyalty is, what respect is.
You're here because you
were supposed to help us,
and you spent every second
of it trying to tear us down,
tear me down, push your own damn agenda!
I'm here to find the truth!
The truth is,
those people in Rosemead have no respect
for anything or anyone.
No, they're like you.
They just take whenever they want,
and they have no problem
turning their backs
on the people who gave it
to them... people like me,
who strap on their boots every day,
kiss their wife and kids goodbye,
and trek 40 miles into
a city where everyone,
including little babies,
are taught to look at us like the enemy!
They are taught to
question me, to disobey me,
and still I risk my life for these people.
Every day for seven years,
I have allowed myself
to be disrespected and
hated by these people,
all to protect them from themselves.
I mean, all I hear about
on the news are dirty cops,
cops who shoot innocent black kids.
It's crap!
There were 84 murders
in this city last year.
Were all of those cops
shooting innocent black boys?
Hell no.
Those were blacks turning
guns on each other,
and yet somehow I'm the animal!
Brandon Parker is dead
because he didn't have respect,
because those people out there
who are chanting and crying over his body,
they didn't teach him the right values.
They didn't teach him respect.
He didn't respect me. He
didn't respect my badge.
Questioning my authority was not his right!
His blood is not on my hands!
It's just... I can't
believe I'm really here,
the Oval Office.
I still feel that way, every day.
Me too.
It's kind of smaller than
I thought it would be,
though studies have shown
people actually were smaller
back when the White House was built.
Researchers have discovered
that the average height
of an American soldier
during the revolutionary
war was about 5'7",
though Thomas Jefferson was 6'2".
Susan, do you know why you're here?
I think I can guess,
which is why I brought
the presentation materials
on my vaccination proposal.
I also had a few thoughts on tax reform
that I'd love to discuss with you,
but we don't have to do it all tonight.
Susan, I've asked you here
because I'd like to offer
you the vice presidency.
What?
The president is asking you
to be his new vice president.
Why?
"Why?"
I'm a terrible choice. I just got elected.
That's why I'm asking you.
This town has a way of taking people
and turning them into politicians.
I don't want a politician.
But if I were the vice president
and then something happened to you...
Then you would be president.
But I don't want to be president.
I mean, no offense, but
your job is the worst job
in the entire world.
No, actually, vice president
is probably worse
because you don't actually
get to do anything, do you?
And I want to get things done.
There's so much to do...
not just on the vaccination front,
but we need a new tax
code and budget reform,
and there's the war in West Angola
and the war right here at
home, five minutes away.
Have you seen it on TV?
That poor man whose son
was shot dead in the street.
Oh, my God.
If anything like that
ever happened to Casey,
my daughter she's 10.
If anything like that
ever happened to her...
but of course she's white
and the daughter of a senator,
so the police are
actually gonna think twice
before shooting her.
But that poor man,
he raised that boy all by himself.
Can you even imagine what he
is going through right now?
I can't. I would die.
I would literally die on the spot.
I would have to kill myself.
Oh, my gosh.
Oh, my gosh, I'm so sorry.
Of course you know.
Of course you do. You
know more than anyone.
See?
This is why you don't want
me to be vice president.
I'm terrible at this, at talking to people
and not saying what I'm
thinking at all times.
I think we could probably use
a little more of that around here.
Now
Tell me about this
vaccination plan of yours.
Tonight, Officer Jeffrey Newton
was arrested for altering evidence,
perjury, and filing a false report.
He and fellow Officer Edward Brennan
have also been charged with
conspiracy to obstruct justice.
In light of these charges,
the Justice Department,
under my supervision
and with the full cooperation
of Metro Police Chief Lawrence Connors,
will open an independent
federal investigation
into the Washington, D.C., Police Force.
But even given these
actions, I don't stand up here
pretending justice has been served tonight.
Brandon Parker is still gone.
This is what Brandon was reaching for.
This is what was in his pocket...
the receipt for his new cellphone.
You were right. He didn't have a knife.
He had a piece of paper.
The officer who shot
your son is behind bars.
No one is going to arrest you, Mr. Parker.
Let's go.
Where are we going?
This isn't my neighborhood.
No, it's not.
Tonight, a young man's potential
was cut tragically short.
Another American community
is looking for answers,
and another father is knowing
the unbearable pain of losing a child.
Jack, please. Give us a moment.
Mr. Parker.
I am so sorry for your loss.
Please...
Call me Clarence.
My son's name was...
Brandon.
Ours is a country of laws,
but those laws failed
Brandon Parker tonight.
And I can only hope in the weeks ahead,
we can begin to understand why.