Chapter 564 - 265: An Era That Needs No Good People
"Or he can just watch us lose the upcoming election."
Walker’s face was terribly grim.
"This is blackmail."
"That’s right. It’s blackmail."
"So, does Pennsylvania not have a Governor?"
Walker spoke, his gaze sweeping over everyone present before finally landing on Marcus Crassus’s face.
"What is Bob Campbell doing?"
Walker’s tone was accusatory.
"Pittsburgh is his jurisdiction, and Leo Wallace is his subordinate. Now you have a mayor rallying support across the state, building his own little kingdom, and even creating an illegal financial system."
"That so-called ’Alliance Trust’ is a clear violation of banking laws. Why hasn’t Campbell shut it down?"
"Why is he letting that young man, right under his nose, turn Pennsylvania into a fortress of resistance against Washington?"
Normally, the State Government should be the first to deal with a local troublemaker like this.
The Governor has executive power, the state police, and the Auditing Bureau.
Campbell has a hundred ways to shut Leo up.
But he hasn’t.
Not only has he done nothing, but things have been unnervingly quiet over in Harrisburg.
Marcus Crassus opened another intelligence briefing.
"And that’s the most troubling part."
Cres wiped the sweat from his forehead.
"Our people have been to Harrisburg several times. The director of the White House Office of Political Affairs even called Campbell personally."
"We hinted, and even stated outright, that failing to deal with Leo would impact the election results across the state."
"But Campbell has been avoiding a direct response."
Cres pointed to a line in the briefing.
"He says Pittsburgh is stable right now. Leo’s methods may be radical, but he has indeed stabilized employment in the Rust Belt. He claims that if we intervene forcefully now, it could provoke riots among the workers, or even lead to large-scale strikes."
"He said he needs more time to assess the situation."
"Excuses," Walker snorted. "He’s stalling."
"There’s something more important."
Cres turned to the next page.
"We discovered that six months ago, the State Auditing Bureau was preparing to conduct a surprise audit on the Alliance Trust in Pittsburgh. The team had already been dispatched."
"But halfway there, they were called back."
"The order came directly from the Governor’s office."
"The reason given was to suspend all disruptive law enforcement actions during an administrative review."
Cres looked up at Walker.
"He’s protecting Leo."
"Or rather, he’s enabling him."
The conference room fell into a brief silence.
A Democratic Governor protecting a radical mayor who was attacking the central Democratic Party leadership.
"Why?"
Walker asked.
"Campbell is an old-timer from the Establishment Faction. He’s been in this game for decades. He should know the rules. What good does it do him to protect a madman?"
Montoya spoke up.
"Because he’s an old-school politician."
"Raymond, you don’t understand Campbell. He’s not like us."
"We’re in Washington. We look at data, at electoral maps, at the odds of winning. We care about the entire United States."
"But Campbell, he sees himself as the father of Pennsylvania."
Montoya stood up and walked to the window.
"He has an attachment to that state. He’s familiar with every river, every mountain, every decaying factory."
"He thinks of them as his people."
"He doesn’t want to see bloodshed."
"He doesn’t want to see factories close down, and he doesn’t want to see workers starve."
"Although he’s a conservative from the Establishment Faction politically, deep down, he has an old-fashioned sense of duty."
Montoya turned around.
"In Campbell’s eyes, Leo is giving Pennsylvania a lifeline."
"So, he’s unwilling to act. He would rather offend us, rather go against the Party’s will, just to give that young man some breathing room."
"It’s called... a politician’s conscience."
After he finished, Montoya shrugged as if telling a joke.
"Conscience?"
Walker let out a piercing sneer.
"Kod, this is Washington."
"We don’t need a conscience."
Walker stood up, his hands braced on the table, his gaze as sharp as a knife.
"We don’t need a governor who gets emotional."
"Approval ratings are everything."
"If we lose Pennsylvania, is his conscience going to help us win the next election? Is it going to stop the Republicans from coming after us?"
Walker looked at Cres.
"Call him."
"Ask him where he stands."
"Tell him that we need to see the problems with Leo Wallace and Luigi gone in three days."
"Or..."
Walker’s eyes turned vicious.
"Then we’ll deal with him."
"Remind him that the cabinet position promised by the White House isn’t set in stone."
"If he’s not willing to help us clean house..."
"Then we’ll clean him out, too."
"We’ll do it ourselves."
...
「Harrisburg. The Governor’s Mansion.」
Bob Campbell sat behind his desk, the phone on it buzzing insistently.
He held the receiver, his palm slick with sweat.
The call was from Washington. From Marcus Crassus.
"Bob."
Cres’s voice was commanding.
"Deploy the National Guard."
"Take control of law and order in Pittsburgh immediately."
"I don’t care what reason you use—counter-terrorism, riot control, or a public health emergency. In short, I want you to forcibly dissolve that illegal Industrial Revival Alliance."
"Now."
Campbell didn’t respond right away. Instead, he gazed out the window.
He was an old-school politician.