American tax officials

The White House, the Oval Office.

"Fuck, fuck, that damn David, I knew he had more of my stuff in his hands!"

Seeing how bad things had suddenly become, Paiden was furious.

Sullivan, who was standing to the side, didn't look much better either.

It seems he underestimated David. This kid not only investigated the president, but also managed to gather so much compelling dirt on him.

Furthermore, the two attack articles published by Pinkman, one after the other, are truly of a high standard.

If the other party had sent everything out directly, they definitely wouldn't have handled it this way.

But now the other side has published the first article, leading them to refute it in front of the whole country.

After they finished their rebuttal, the second article was published. This was like slapping their previous rebuttals back in the face in front of the whole world, making their rebuttals a joke in an instant!

"I warned you before that you should be careful if you go against him. Now look what's happened, how are we going to save face?"

Paten looked at Sullivan with a hint of reproach.

If Sullivan hadn't immediately urged him to confront David upon his return, even if he was dissatisfied, he certainly wouldn't have been so direct.

After all, far too many people had fallen victim to David's actions.

Now things are really messed up; the other side has indeed found even more dirt on him. They're in for a lot of trouble now.

Sullivan looked worried. He hadn't expected that David actually had so much damaging information about Patten.

Now that everything has come out at once, it has indeed thrown them into a bit of a panic.

……

Meanwhile, on Senado Island.

"What on earth happened? Didn't we warn Patten to be careful? How did it turn out like this?"

[At this point, I hope readers will remember our domain name: 202ᴋᴋs.ᴄᴏᴍ]

Seeing how the situation had suddenly turned out, the Freemasons' expressions were equally grim.

When they clashed with David, the White House remained neutral and muddied the waters.

They had finally managed to drag the White House into their camp, but David had dealt with them again in the blink of an eye. If, like the Watergate scandal, Paden was forced to resign, then their situation would become even more difficult.

It's important to understand that if Paden is forced to resign now, Vice President Kaczyla will take his place. Kaczyla had already made her stance clear during the last tax avoidance bill, and she has obviously become David's lackey.

So once this woman comes to power, and David controls both Congress and the presidency, what chance do they have?

Or just prepare to die!

"There's no point in saying this now. In this situation, Patten absolutely cannot afford to fail. Let's all think about how to smooth things over for him!"

As the core of the Freemasons, Henrietta was also furious about this, but at the same time he knew very well that protecting Padden was the most important thing now.

"Mr. Henrietta, the second article presents a wealth of damaging evidence against Paton's son, which is impossible to refute. Moreover, the nation is currently gripped by anger at being misled. Therefore, I believe Paton should personally step forward and offer a sincere apology to the nation!"

Prescott stepped forward and spoke.

After the Lewinsky scandal broke, it was only because of Clinton's sincere apology that he was eventually forgiven by the public and averted disaster.

If Patten comes out now and sincerely apologizes to the public, there is still a good chance that this matter can be resolved peacefully.

What do you all think of Prescott's proposal?

Henrietta looked around at the crowd.

The group exchanged glances, but ultimately no one offered any suggestions or objections, clearly acquiescing to this approach.

"Since everyone agrees, let's call Patten and give him this suggestion!"

……

The White House, the Oval Office.

Padden put down the phone with a gloomy expression.

The Freemasons demanded that he hold a press conference to admit his mistakes, and after some discussion, Sullivan and his advisory team came up with this solution.

It seems that this is the only way to do it.

"Let's hold a press conference!"

"Yes, Mr. President!"

Half an hour later, a new round of press conferences was held.

Unlike last time, when Wilder hosted the event, this time it was Paiden himself who took the lead.

Under the spotlight, Paiden walked to the stage and said with a remorseful look, "Hello everyone, in light of the criticism and accusations against me by the Washington Post, I have deeply realized my mistake."

"Actually, when I first saw the first article published by Bokman, I wanted to hold a press conference to apologize to everyone, but as everyone knows, I... I have a disobedient son."

"Upon hearing the news, she ran to my office crying and begging me not to make it public, so I...I..."

At this point, Paden suddenly choked up, and his eyes began to redden.

At that moment, Wilder, who was in the audience, also understood perfectly and immediately pulled out a few tissues, went up on stage, and handed them to Padden.

Patten took the tissue, wiped his wet eyes, and continued, "Originally, I didn't want to agree, but my unfilial son actually threatened to kill himself to force me. As the saying goes, 'If a son is not taught, it is the father's fault.' The reason he became like this is also largely related to me and my becoming president."

"Even saying it like this, it's all my fault that he's like this!"

"In an attempt to make up for this debt, I acted impulsively and made such a foolish decision. I have let down the people of America..."

At the same time, the Manhattan Precinct in New York.

"Haha, our president's performance was really good; it's a shame he's not in Hollywood!"

Watching Padden's tearful performance at the press conference, Munson couldn't help but make a sarcastic remark.

"You know what, it's actually quite effective for him; at least the pressure on him online has eased considerably!"

"That's normal. After all, he's the president. When someone of such high status apologizes so tearfully in front of the entire nation, it gives the public a great deal of psychological comfort, thus lessening the criticism he receives!"

Jerry and Larin also spoke up one after the other.

"Is the third document ready?"

At this moment, David, who was sitting, spoke up.

"The Inspector General is ready."

"Okay, send it to Pinkman immediately after our president's 'performance' is over!"

"clear!"

……

The White House did achieve a relatively good result after Patten's nearly hour-long tearful apology.

It wasn't just the media reporters at the scene who felt some sympathy for Pat himself.

And many people online feel the same way.

Of course, the reason why it achieved such good results is mainly because Paden is really a bit of a "pitfall".

Yes, he placed all the blame on his son.

In describing his son as a wicked and spoiled brat, he also highlighted his own helplessness as a father, which led to this outcome.

Of course, it was merely a mistake that arose out of necessity, not something he intended to do. There is a big difference between the two!

"Alright, that's all for now, Mr. President. Let me add a few more points!"

At this point, Wilder stepped onto the stage, took over from Padden, and continued, "As you all know, our president is over eighty years old. At this age, most people are already enjoying their retirement at home, but our president is still working hard in this position, striving to bring benefits to the people of America."

"Of course, there are gains and losses. As I said before, our president has given all his attention to the country, so it's inevitable that he will lose some things!"

"For example, her care for her family, and her discipline of her son!"

"This is the real reason for everyone's anger, and I once again implore everyone to understand our president!"

"Because while he is your president, you must also remember that he is an old man and a father!"

"That concludes my remarks. Thank you to all the media friends who have come!"

With Wilder's words, the press conference officially came to an end.

However, the online discussion surrounding this incident has begun to shift.

"In this light, although President Paden deceived us, it was a move he had no other choice!"

"Yes, every family has its own problems. Who can blame us when our president has such an unfilial son? It's truly unfortunate."

"When faced with a choice between the nation and his family, our president ultimately chooses the nation, and this must be understood!"

"..."

It is said that top-notch actors are found in politics, and Patten's ability to ascend to the presidency is certainly no accident; his tearful speeches did indeed move many people.

With the Freemasons' control of major social media platforms like Facebook and YouTube, the public opinion has begun to shift significantly from the previous overwhelming accusations.

Of course, in addition to this, the White House's professional public relations team also played a significant role.

After returning to the presidential office.

Patten slumped weakly into his chair, then asked the public relations manager, "How's the public opinion now?"

"Mr. President, you made the right move. According to our preliminary polls, 52 percent of the public are forgiving you after your heartfelt apology."

The head of the public relations department answered truthfully.

Hearing this, Paden finally breathed a sigh of relief.

It seems that such efforts have paid off!

But then, as if remembering something, he quickly looked at Wilder and asked, "What's the situation with the Washington Post?"

First the first article came out, then the second one. He was worried that there might be a third one.

If there really is a third piece of evidence, and like the second one, it contains extremely unfavorable evidence against him, then he's truly finished.

"Mr. President, don't worry, I've already sent someone with 'sincerity' to their CEO, and I think it will have some effect!"

Pinkman was just an editor-in-chief.

So Wilder's plan was simple: find the CEO of the Washington Post and have a proper "discussion" with him to see how to prevent any potential problems from arising.

"very good."

Padden then looked at Sullivan and said, "We need to get things sorted out with the FBI as soon as possible, so we won't be in such a passive position."

If the FBI were still in their hands, they would never have been caught off guard by these two articles.

Therefore, he believes that control of this organization must be regained as soon as possible.

"Don't worry, sir. I've already met with the leaders of both the majority and minority parties in Congress, and I'll get their support for Nuland to take office as soon as possible."

"Then let's go talk!"

……

In an office on the top floor of the Washington Post headquarters.

"Mr. Fofana, this is the President's order. Your Post has already gained so much traffic; it's time to stop. If you stop now, the President has said that past actions will be forgiven. But if you continue..."

The representative sent by Wilder did not continue speaking, but the threat was already quite obvious.

Sitting opposite him was Fofana Ransom, the CEO of the Washington Post.

Upon hearing these threatening words, Fofana's brows furrowed deeply.

Although Pinkman had assured him that this big news story would elevate their newspaper's standing in the industry, he was still in trouble.

But now that the president's representatives have personally come to threaten him, it's impossible for him to be completely without any reservations.

"I understand, Mr. Nishizawa. I'll consider it!"

"Then you'll have to think this through carefully, Mr. Fofana. This is the 21st century now; an event like Watergate is impossible to happen again!"

The representative known as Caesar was well aware of this. The Washington Post was taking such a gamble by reporting on this news story simply to recapture the glory of the Watergate scandal.

So he's directly pointing this out now as a warning!

As expected, Fofana was very unhappy that his thoughts had been exposed, but since the other party was a representative sent by the president, he could not refute anything further and could only wave his hand to give them the order to leave.

After Caesar left, Fofana immediately picked up the landline phone on the table: "Have Pinkman come to my office!"

"Mr. President, you wanted to see me?"

A few minutes later, Pinkman arrived at the office looking travel-worn.

However, he seemed a little impatient at this moment. Since the previous two articles were published, his reputation has grown like a rocket, and he has now become a well-known figure in the industry.

His social media following jumped from tens of thousands to millions in a short period of time, and this huge fame and fortune almost drove him crazy with excitement.

Just moments ago, he had received the third document from David and was preparing to get to work, but he was unexpectedly interrupted by Mel, which naturally annoyed him. (End of Chapter)