Miles Goodman placed his hand on top of Callie’s microphone and carefully spoke in her ear.
“Callie, I’ve got to tell you again, that this is not a good idea. I think if you invoke your Fifth Amendment privilege, you’ll be protected, and as your attorney, I strongly advise you to do so before saying another word. Please. Shut. Up.”
Callie stared at Goodman’s hand, which was still on the mic, before looking back at him.
“Miles, you’ve got to trust me…now please...”
Goodman removed his hand.
“Callie you’re making a huge mistake. Be very careful,” he said louder but still too low for the digital recording devices in the room to pick up. Goodman pulled back from the microphone. He shook his head. Callie smiled as she tried her best to assure him it would all work out okay.
From the left side of the dais, Senator Wilbur Lank, a seven-term Democrat from Tennessee, interrupted the proceedings.
“Mr. Chairman, I was not informed that the witness would be making any opening remarks. It is our usual protocol, is it not, for a witness to make us aware of any opening statements and provide us with those statements beforehand, along with a copy of their remarks?”
“Nor was I informed, Mr. Chairman.” Charles Shulman, a four-term Democratic Senator from New Jersey, screamed. He echoed Lank’s sentiments with his usual dramatic flare. Shulman was someone who could most appropriately be described as ornery on his best day and this particular day was not shaping up to be all that good. His mood reflected that.
“To be quite honest with you, it is a massive breach of committee protocol and I believe sanctions against this witness may be in order,” he said.
Callie continued on in spite of the great tumult in front of her. She derived great pleasure from the obvious discomfort she was causing. “The things I have done on Capitol Hill and elsewhere are beyond my own description. It hurts just to think about them.” Callie smoothed her shoulders, as if there were wrinkles but there were none. “I am not proud of what I’ve done, but I do take full responsibility for my actions.”
She lifted her head and gazed intently at the lawmakers in front of her. “However, I believe I may be the only one in this room to do so.”
Chairman Rice interrupted her and peered down at Callie from over his bifocals.
“Ms. Wheeler, we were led to believe you would not be making any opening remarks.”
Callie looked in control and seemed to gain strength from the simmering tension in the room. She leaned in closer to the microphone. The photographers clicked away while the television cameras zoomed in on her face.
“Well, I changed my mind.”
Callie confidently pushed back from the microphone and smiled, letting her last comment sink in. The chamber erupted, most of the noise coming from the Senators.
Chairman Rice gaveled the room quiet before the hearing spun out of control. Senator Mike Gorman, a Democrat from Colorado, had already served four terms in the Senate after being elected to Congress at a mere thirty years old. His perfect hair, flawless teeth and well-cut suits were his trademark. Gorman was using this hearing as well as any other occasion to bump his sagging poll numbers in an upcoming race no one thought would be close. His campaign was in trouble and everyone knew it.
“In light of these events, Mr. Chairman, I reiterate...I think this session needs to be held in private. As you know, I’ve been against this entire exercise and am on record with that opinion. However, if we are going to move ahead with this, the least we can do is clear the room and save the public the embarrassment?”
Senator Gerald Macklin, a six-term Republican from Illinois, was also unhappy. Senator Macklin had watched his years in office expand along with his waistline. He tipped the scales during his most recent physical at close to four-hundred pounds. “I would agree, Mr. Chairman,” he said. “I think it is best we clear the entire chamber at this time…”
“I am not sure what good an open hearing does for the people of this great country,” Senator Lank said, interrupting.
The noise in the hearing room grew louder. The onlookers in the gallery began talking amongst themselves while a number of Senators continued to interrupt.
Senator Shulman, speaking loudly into his microphone, addressed the hearing once again. “Mr. Chairman, I would like to raise an objection to the presence of this witness before our committee and I would also like the official record to reflect my opinion as to how ridiculous I feel her testimony is and will be.”
Chairman Rice pounded the gavel on his podium. “Quiet, please.”
Callie watched intently. Senator Shulman covered his mic and leaned in to whisper something to Chairman Rice. Before he could say a word, Callie rattled their cages one more time.
“Mr. Chairman, I would like to continue...”
The gallery once again buzzed with chatter. Chairman Rice pounded the gavel loudly. “Quiet. We cannot proceed like this. We need quiet.”
Senator Shulman took advantage of the ruckus. He leaned over to whisper in the chairman’s ear. “Lester, you need to postpone this. I am telling you, this bitch is hell on wheels. We need to get control of this situation and I mean right now.”
Chairman Rice nodded as Shulman talked in his ear. Before he could finish, Rice was already on it. “Ms. Wheeler, would you be willing to postpone your testimony a day or two so we can sort out a few procedural details?”
Goodman quickly placed his hand on Callie’s microphone. He offered her some advice drawn from his three decades of work. “Callie, listen to me. Take him up on his offer and play ball with these guys. They do not fuck around. As your attorney, I am advising you in the strongest possible terms to say ‘yes’. These people will make your life a living hell. Just do as they say.”
Callie let her lustrous brown hair fall over her left shoulder. She smiled and slowly moved Goodman’s hand off the microphone.
“No sir, Mr. Chairman, I would not. I will testify today and no other day. If you like, feel free to subpoena me, but I am quite confident that I’m the last person Congress wants to hear from.”
In the back right corner of the chamber, Mike Ferguson sat quietly. More than any other person in attendance, he knew all too well about Callie Wheeler. The seasoned litigators who sat on the committee had media pundits wondering aloud how Callie would hold up against their intense rounds of questioning. Mike Ferguson knew better and couldn’t help but feel bad for the Senators sitting in front of her. As he thought about the long day they had ahead of them, the trace of a smile began to form on his face.
Two
Friday, July 15, 2011-Two Weeks Earlier
The anticipated arrival of the Congressional summer recess in D.C. was Callie Wheeler’s favorite time of the year. Cherry blossoms had all but vanished off the trees and the humidity that plagued the population during the summer months had been dormant. Congress was four weeks away from its annual summer vacation. As the most successful lobbyist in Washington, Callie savored the relative peace and quiet their departures granted her, if only for a few days. She had hoped to use the time to get away for some well-earned R&R with her fiance’, but she learned long ago: wishful thinking had no place when her boss was concerned. Under that cloud, Callie Wheeler sat in the conference room at the Law Offices of Miller & Gladstone, awaiting her turn to speak.
Miller and Gladstone had once been and was again, the top lobbying firm in Washington D.C. Better known on K Street as M&G, the firm rose to prominence during the two-term presidency of William Gordie Bannon. Derek Gladstone, the ‘G’ in M&G, had played college football at Stanford with the President. His close friendship with the most powerful man in the world carried influence across America and around the globe. It was