American Tax Officer-Chapter 863 - 432 Sullivan Takes the Blame_2

Chapter 863: Chapter 432: Sullivan Takes the Blame_2

Chapter 863 -432: Sullivan Takes the Blame_2

The reason was quite simple; if they managed to take down Payden, Katherine, who would succeed him, would inevitably be very grateful to their Internal Revenue Service.

And with the lesson learned from Payden’s case, the succeeding Katherine would certainly not dare to harbor any more petty thoughts and would be sure to fully cooperate with their Internal Revenue Service!

Obadiah nodded slightly and then turned to look at David, asking, “David, what do you think?”

“I share the opinion of most people here, but it ultimately depends on how the White House responds. If they are sensible, that would be best. However, if they choose not to see reason and push for impeachment, then we would need to seriously consider the implications that would bring…”

“You’re right…”

In the time that followed, everyone engaged in a thorough discussion of the incident until ten o’clock, when Obadiah finally adjourned the meeting.

After that, he drove towards the White House with David and Consultant Welton Heng.

Twenty minutes later, the three arrived at the White House and were promptly taken to the President’s office.

“Director Obadiah, Consultant Welton Heng, Inspector David, I know you all are busy. I hope I haven’t disturbed your affairs?”

Payden stood and greeted the three with a smile. To the uninformed, his demeanor might suggest a close relationship with the trio.

“When the President summons us, no matter how busy we are, we must come,” Obadiah replied with a smile.

“Come, come, sit down before we talk!”

Once the three had taken their seats, Payden continued, “You see, I think there was a slight misunderstanding between us before, but nothing too significant. We’re all here to serve the country, and I think we should be able to talk, don’t you agree?”

Hearing this, both Obadiah and Welton Heng said nothing but exchanged glances and silently signaled to David.

“Mr. President, as you mentioned, we all serve the nation, and certainly, we can talk!”

Upon hearing this, not only did Payden breathe a sigh of relief, but so did Wylder, who stood by.

They had truly feared that David, who held the upper hand, would refuse to yield.

Fortunately, from David’s tone, it seemed that the issue was not entirely without room for negotiation.

“It’s like this: regarding your big purge in New York, we certainly had some misconceptions, but now we all agree your intentions were good, cleaning up the corrupt and tax-evading officials…”

Their conflict with David had stemmed from this issue. Now, in seeking to negotiate, Payden took the initiative to acknowledge the mistake.

“Since Mr. President believes this was the right thing to do, naturally, that couldn’t be better. Moreover, once the angry public learns of your supportive stance on this matter, their impression of you will certainly improve!”

David nailed it, touching on what was close to Payden’s heart.

Why had the Washington Post article sparked nationwide rage against him?

Of course, his dirty deals played a role, but another factor was the media capturing his unsupportive stance towards the big purge in New York.

Everyone thought that the Internal Revenue Service cleaning up corrupt officials and tax evaders in New York State was a good thing.

For the White House, as the highest ruling body in the country, to appear unsupportive?

Wouldn’t that be taking the side of those corrupt officials, colluding with them?

So, if the White House could now come out and clearly support it, that indeed could regain much public favor.

“Ahem…”

Seeing Payden lost in thought, Wylder gave two staged coughs as a reminder.

Payden immediately snapped back to reality and then asked, “Inspector David, if the White House were to come out and clearly support your actions in New York State, there wouldn’t be a fourth or fifth article from Pinkman, right?”

“That would depend on Mr. President himself!”

“Inspector David, what do you mean by that?”

Payden’s face suddenly darkened.

Logically speaking, since he had already admitted his mistake, at the very least, David should give him some face and call off the exposé.

But now the other party said it depended on him, what did that mean?

Did they still refuse to relent?

Did they really intend for him to step down before they would stop?

“Chief Inspector David, you must be aware of the pressure the White House has faced due to the recent offshore tax avoidance bill and the New York incident. The President is even prepared to openly support you in the days to come; you should show some consideration for him!”

“The man has been in politics for most of his life, served as chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, been Vice President, and President. His experiences in all aspects are unrivaled by the younger generation!”

“With his strong support for you, whatever you want to do in the future will undoubtedly be more effective!”

Chief of Staff Wylder spoke very eloquently.

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He was telling David and his colleagues that he knew they likely harbored the idea of deposing Payden and then promoting Katherine, the Vice President.

But Katherine was too young after all. If she actually sat in the President’s seat, many things would be unmanageable for her.

But it would be different with Payden.

Although Payden had only been President for three years, he had many years of experience in the Congress and various government departments and was essentially capable of handling most matters.

In short, allowing Payden to stay in office wasn’t the best choice, but it was definitely the most effective one!

At this moment, David and his colleagues could naturally discern the subtext in Wylder’s words.

David indeed acknowledged that if Payden truly leaned towards them completely and continued to watch over their interests in this position, whether pushing legislation or other matters, they would achieve better outcomes.

However, Payden was still too unstable a factor.

Deep down, David preferred to take Payden down and put Katherine up.

Although Payden had now indicated that he would firmly stand on their side in the future, the crux of the matter was that he made this decision when he was almost out of options.

David could not rest too easy on such terms.

What if, once Payden recovered his composure, he found strength and turned his back on them?

The position of President held great power, and David couldn’t help but be wary.

Thus, the safest bet was to take Payden down and elevate Katherine.

Katherine wasn’t one of The Big Three Groups, and she had been supported personally by him. Furthermore, without a solid foundation like Payden’s, she was easier to control!

Thinking this, David spoke, “Chief of Staff Wylder, your point is valid, but we also have our own considerations, and we don’t quite agree with your view.”

“This…”

Seeing David’s immovable demeanor, Wylder’s face turned extremely ugly.

But even uglier was Payden’s expression.

After a long while, Wylder continued, “Chief Inspector David, beyond that, you might also be dissatisfied with the FBI situation, but I can tell you clearly, that wasn’t entirely the President’s own intention either. In fact, the main responsibility lies with Sullivan. I believe you’re somewhat aware of that. As a sign of our sincerity, the White House is willing to relieve him of all his duties, as a way of making amends to you. What do you think?”

“Relieving Sullivan of his duties…”

A smirk appeared at the corner of David’s mouth.

After all, Sullivan was currently America’s leading figure among the younger generation. To think he’d been made the fall guy so readily, Payden was indeed willing to make the hard sacrifices.

Yet, putting himself in Payden’s current shoes, if sacrificing Sullivan could resolve the crisis at hand, it would indeed be worth it.