North American riot police: Start by arresting P. Diddy!

Chapter 280 "Mr. Secretary of State, you seem to need some help."

As the most important and grandest festival in the West, Christmas, as the name suggests, is the day to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ.

This day is not only a major religious occasion, but also the most important family holiday in the West, symbolizing reunion and love in the East.

Therefore, even on this day, many Western countries take a public holiday, and the streets and alleys are decorated with lanterns and colorful decorations.

But politicians are not spared any rest.

After all, on such an important holiday, whether it's attending charity events with one's wife to show off marital harmony and family warmth, or sending blessings to the public in front of the camera, it's all a way of being approachable and caring for the people, which can improve one's image.

In Europe, the Queen's Christmas address has been a long-standing tradition for decades, and each time it attracts attention from all over Europe.

In America, the president also hosts a giant White House Christmas reception to express universal values ​​and gratitude for public service.

"Here, let us remember the soldiers who serve far from home, and all those who protect our safety."

"This is a time to celebrate the precious bonds we share with family and friends."

"."

“Michelle and I wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a happy holiday!”

President America appeared radiant and spoke eloquently in front of the cameras.

He started as a lecturer, then entered the legal profession, ran for parliament, and spent many years navigating the political arena.
This wealth of experience has given the president exceptional oratory skills, with his witty remarks captivating both television viewers and politicians and media present at the event.

This was no ordinary speech; the president also brought his wife, Michelle, to extend holiday greetings to the people.

Originally, this president had a strong base of voters of color, so he didn't have to worry about being re-elected.

However, in the past year, he has faced numerous internal and external conflicts. Not to mention the rednecks in the south, even people of color have lost confidence in him, and his approval rating has been declining all the way.

For this reason, he also played the "wife card" on this special day, using his wife's influence to win public support.

According to statistics, nearly 70% of Black women idolize Michelle Obama, who is also Black, and emulate her style of dress. She has extremely high prestige and influence.

Bringing her out for a speech was also to stabilize his voter base and ensure he could gain more support from Black voters in the election.

This was a White House Christmas reception for the media and the public, attended by many important figures, including several cabinet officials who brought their wives.

In a corner, Secretary of State Underwood declined a toast from his colleagues and sat alone with his wife Claire in a quiet sofa area, silently watching the glamorous presidential couple on the stage.

“I’ve heard a really interesting conspiracy theory,” Underwood said suddenly, stroking his glass.

"Really?" Claire knew her husband was in a bad mood and dutifully played the role of listener. "What is it? Is it about the President and his wife?"

"Yes."

Underwood lowered his voice: "It's said that Michelle wasn't called that in college."

"Hmm? What's it called?"

"Michael!"

"You mean...?"

"Yes, it's what you think."

Claire stared in shock, her eyes wide with disbelief, even with her extensive knowledge and experience. She could hardly believe what her husband had just said.

Underwood, however, remained calm and continued to drop bombshells: "Back in 2008, the year he ran for president, the president entrusted a well-known private physician from his staff to take care of the ailing Michelle."

"Just a year later, the doctor privately revealed to the media that Michelle was not a woman, had silicone implants in many parts of her body, and that her weekly shaving bills were enormous."

"How is that possible? I've never heard of this before," Claire frowned suspiciously.

Underwood laughed and said, "The news was immediately censored by the media across the entire internet. It is said that our President spent millions of dollars to shut the doctor up."

Claire still didn't believe it: "But they have a daughter."

"Ha, do you think it would be difficult for them to have multiple daughters given their status?" Underwood retorted.

This time, Claire remained silent.

She carefully recalled each of her meetings with the First Lady:
The other woman is over 180 cm tall, far exceeding the average height of a woman; she has been married for many years, and even during the election campaign, there has never been a single photo of her pregnant, which is not typical of a female politician; the president has mistakenly pronounced Michelle as Michael more than once during his speeches; and whenever they appear together, the First Lady always subconsciously covers her groin with the hem of her dress.
"What the hell?!"

Claire was stunned.

She stared intently at the First Lady, who was gracefully waving from the podium.

The sharp angles of that face, the unusually broad shoulders—all those details suddenly became jarring.

Is it true?
Claire didn't know if it was true or not, but she secretly believed it in her heart.

“You don’t need to overthink it,” Underwood chuckled. “Like I said, it’s just a conspiracy theory. It’s funny, but a lot of the ‘evidence’ doesn’t hold water. Just treat it as a funny joke and listen to it.”

His words showed absolutely no respect for the president and first lady on the stage, even comparing them to a joke, which was extremely audacious and arrogant.

Claire was well aware of her husband's ambition and his past conflict with the president.

She smiled calmly, not responding, but instead lowering her voice to probe, "Since there's such a sensational scandal, why not release it to the media? At least it could damage the president's approval rating."

“A scandal?” Underwood looked at her in surprise. “You think this is a scandal?”

"Otherwise what?" Claire looked puzzled. "The First Lady of the world's leading superpower is... isn't that a scandal?"

"Hahaha"

Underwood chuckled and shook his head: "Claire, your political instincts are still too poor. In other countries, this would undoubtedly be the biggest scandal, but here... ha, this is a vote-getting weapon!"

He pointed out the window, “Starting in California, LGBT sentiment is sweeping across the United States, with gender-crossing parades springing up everywhere. The left-wing media is also fueling this trend and giving it strong support. Do you know how big that vote bank is? It's practically propaganda material tailor-made for freedom and democracy!”

"Don't even mention that the First Lady thing is most likely false. Even if it is true, it will only give this guy an extra large voter base out of nowhere."

"His support from Black voters is already a headache for me enough; I don't want to give him any more support."

Claire suddenly realized that she hadn't thought of these things at the moment.

As the party drew to a close, guests began to leave in twos and threes, saying goodbye to each other.

Underwood gave his wife a wink, and Claire immediately understood, stepping forward to chat warmly with the First Lady.

The wives of high-ranking officials don't have much to talk about. If it were anyone else, they would probably talk about fashion or hairstyles, but it's different for both Michelle and Claire.

They are the same kind of people, each with their own political ambitions.

The two had a pleasant conversation, and soon Michelle told her husband that she and Claire were going to the office to discuss the dilemmas and opportunities of feminism in contemporary politics.

"Ok."

The president smiled and nodded, about to suggest going together to offer some advice, when Underwood's voice suddenly came from beside him.

“Barack, do you have time?” “Frank?”

The president turned around and saw the Secretary of State walking towards him with a glass of champagne.

He glanced discreetly at the unfamiliar special agents behind the other person, then put on a professional smile: "You're quite low-key tonight, which isn't like your usual shrewd and sophisticated style."

“Maybe I’ve had a bit too much to drink.” Underwood rubbed his temples, then suddenly became serious. “Barack, Congress has reached a preliminary consensus on your immigration bill amendment. Shall we talk about it?”

"Sure," the president nodded in agreement.

Soon, the Oval Office was filled with smoke.

Underwood and the president, each with a cigar, spoke in hushed tones while looking at the documents on the table.

These two should have been smokers for years or only occasionally smoked for social occasions, but the ups and downs of the past year have made them both pick up their smoking habit again, and they are exhausted as they puff out smoke.

The previously mentioned illegal immigration bill is a controversial policy that the president has been pushing for recently.

Under the previous president's hardline policies, America consistently adopted a repressive approach to cracking down on illegal immigrants. These illegal immigrants were accused of taking jobs from locals, leading to high unemployment and persistent tax deficits.

Not to mention Los Angeles and New York, where illegal immigrants congregate and crime rates are consistently off the charts.

Therefore, in the past few years, the federal government's approach to illegal immigrants has been summed up in one word: deportation!
but!

The situation is different now.
Our black president suddenly realized with keen insight that the millions of illegal immigrants every year were a godsend vote bank!
If you treat them well and provide these most looked-down-upon immigrants with some welfare and food, you can easily win their hearts and minds and secure their votes.

As for the huge amount of money required for this move?

America, isn't taxpayers' money meant to be used to win votes?

The president was initially hesitant, as this move would certainly anger the middle class and the local population.

After all, nobody wants to see their hard-earned taxes used by the government to support those illegal immigrants who smuggle themselves in, don't do honest work, and break the law every day.

But his recent plummeting approval ratings made him determined: relying on just one Black voter base wasn't enough; he had to develop new voter bases!

He then quickly convened his cabinet and drafted a bill that would benefit illegal immigrants, which he then urgently sent to Congress.

The core of the bill is this: those who have illegally resided in the U.S. for more than a year can have their deportation suspended and apply for a work permit!

It goes without saying that this will absolutely be met with strong opposition from other parties and conservatives.

Therefore, he now needs more support within the party, especially from Underwood, a former whip who has been working in Congress for decades.

"The latest closed-door congressional meeting shows that neither the Senate nor the House has a chance of passing it. I think you're being a bit too hasty, Barack."

“I can’t help but be anxious. My approval rating is dropping. Not only is the Elephant Party relentlessly attacking me, but there are also dissenting voices within the party itself.”

“Within the party? That must be a misunderstanding. I haven’t heard of anyone having a problem with you.” Underwood feigned surprise.

"Really? Then maybe I'm overthinking it."

The president took a deep drag on his cigar and slowly exhaled a smoke ring: "Only by passing this bill can we stabilize our party's base for the next two terms."

"Illegal immigrants?" Underwood asked, puzzled. "These guys are opportunistic, they're all rejects who couldn't make it in other countries. Do you think they'll be our core base?"

"They can be!"

The president slammed his hand on the table impatiently, making the ashtray jump: "I've made up my mind. If Congress still doesn't agree, then I'll bypass Congress and implement immigration reform through executive order!"

"This"

Underwood said speechlessly, "What you're doing is unconstitutional!"

"But I'm still the president, aren't I?" The president smiled with a sense of victory, waved his hand, and indicated that he did not want to talk about it anymore.

Underwood's expression was respectful and obedient, but a hint of gloom lurked in his eyes.

His goal this time was to get the president to abandon the implementation of the illegal immigration law; he didn't want to see this bastard gain another voter base.

Unexpectedly, the other party was so resolute, even willing to trample on the constitution and gamble everything.

After he left, looking preoccupied, the president summoned his Secret Service agent, Michael Banning.

"How's the situation with Frank? Have you found any evidence of his private communication with Rorschach?"

"There's no news from the Special Operations team yet. The cabinet has just been reorganized, and the National Security Council has a lot of things to deal with. He probably hasn't had time to reconnect with Luo Xia."

"Yes, tell them to keep a close eye on things and not miss any details."

The president stared at the oak door as if he could see through the heavy panels and into the scheming Underwood outside.

"Does this white trash really think I got to the presidency because of my skin color? As long as I catch him red-handed, I'll make sure he's utterly disgraced!"

--------

night.

Underwood returned to the mansion alone first.

Claire also had a long talk with the First Lady at the White House, and the two powerful women from the political and business worlds had a very pleasant conversation on women's rights issues.

Speaking of which, he arranged a sinecure for Jack's daughter, Ginny, at the State Department, saying she would come to Washington to take up the post tomorrow.

I owe Jack a favor, so I'll have to treat Ginny well later.

But what bothered him most at the moment was that damned immigration bill.

If this bill passes, his entire plan will be in vain!

That black president will have two major vote banks: ethnic minorities and illegal immigrants. He's practically unshakeable!
Underwood narrowed his eyes and began to devise a plan.

He had to prepare for the worst; if the bill passed, he would have to find a way to sabotage it and cause the president some fatal trouble.

Click——

The door opens.

The newly transferred bodyguard was about to step forward to check when his body suddenly stiffened as if struck by lightning, and his head drooped unnaturally, like a puppet being manipulated.

Not only him, but the fully armed special agents behind him also lost consciousness in unison, frozen in place like statues.

Underwood frowned and instinctively turned to rush to his car to activate the emergency alarm.

But just then, a familiar voice suddenly came from the dark living room.

In the darkness, Rorschach's face slowly emerged from the shadows:

"It's been a long time, Mr. Secretary of State."

(End of this chapter)