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The President studied her, wondering how she could possibly get out from under Rudin's sights. "I'm listening."
"Whatever Congressman Rudin has in that file that he was waving around
today, it is classified material."
"And?"
"It is classified material that he received from an employee of the CIA. Someone, sir, has committed a crime by passing along that information."
"How?"
"If they are an employee of the CIA they have signed a national security nondisclosure document, sir."
The President looked skeptical. "It's bigger than all that, Irene. The press is involved."
"Please hear me out, sir. Much of what the Orion Team did, originally, was handled outside the CIA. Over the last year, Director Stansfield went to great lengths to legitimize the actions of the team. Giving Mitch a legitimate personnel file was just part of what he was up to. He created a real paper trail of classified documents documenting what the team has done. He has a list of senators and congressmen who were informed every time the team was sent into action."
The President was frowning. "How legitimate is this?"
"It's not a question of legitimacy, sir."
"Sure it is. What if they deny ever signing such a document?"
"They won't," Kennedy said with a steady voice.
Hayes took the hint. The rumors about Stansfield keeping files on people were true. "You mean they might be afraid of what would come out if they didn't go along?"
"Maybe." Kennedy stayed evasive, but got her point across.
The President seemed ill at ease with this course of action.
"Sir, all of this is legitimate enough for you to ask FBI Director Roach to seize that file and any copies that Rudin has made."
Wincing, the President asked, "You are asking me to have the FBI bust into the home of a U. S. congressman?"
"Yes, I am."
"You can't be serious. The press will-" "Sir," Kennedy. "Rudin didn't exactly play fair with you on this one. He, or someone close to him, has broken the law
. Normally, we would gladly turn a blind eye to it, but he has forced our hand by purging top secret information on national TV."
The President stubbornly crossed his arms. "Where is this whole thing going to take us, Irene?"
"If I go up to the Hill tomorrow and answer questions, I'll be crucified. If I withdraw my name from the process, Rudin will hold hearings within a week, and I'll be crucified. Either way it's going to happen, and under both scenarios, sir, your presidency will be guilty by association."
"We're screwed." Hayes stood tall as if he needed a full breath of air. He placed his hands on his hips and continued, "And of all the times for it to happen, it has to come along right now when this whole Iraqi thing is about to heat up."
"There is a third way, sir," she suggested.
"I'm all ears"
Kennedy began carefully laying out her plan. They would need the FBI to raid Rudin's home and office. The uproar from the. other politicians and the press would be unavoidable, but predictable and ultimately short-lived, for Kennedy had something very bold planned for Albert Rudin, something that would in all likelihood end his career.
CHAPTER FORTY.
Oval Office, Sunday evening
Clark put on a suit for the meeting. It was in his plan to call the President and talk to him about the news created by Rudin. If he was going to keep the President in the dark about his involvement, it was best to act sympathetic and see if there was anything he could do to help. There wasn't, of course. He had the President and the Democrats boxed in. Kennedy was going to become the lightning rod for one of the most sensational hearings ever launched.