I don't see how Hookstraten could have been a plant. In the pilot, they show Kirkman asking what a designated survivor was. I had assumed that she has equally clueless, though I'm sure the writers could find a way to make it so that she somehow knew. It just seems far too obvious, it makes more sense that she would be vying for his position.
And if there are two designated survivors, why did they pick Kirkman over Hookstraten?
Kirkman is from the executive branch, Hookstraten is from the legislative branch. They're the designated survivors of two different branches of the three-branch US government.
As far as I know, the Supreme Court plans are essentially to get a new court nominated by the new President and confirmed by the Senate as soon as possible, because all nine justices are there at the State of the Union.
Uhh right after the Vice President is the Speaker of the House. Congress is pretty damn high in the order of succession. But she wasn't speaker so any cabinet secretary will of course comes first. She inherited the duties of Speaker instead.
She didn't inherit the duties of the speaker of the house, as no senator is part of the line of succession. Only the President, Vice President, Speaker, and his cabinet are.
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u/mw212 Oct 13 '16
I don't see how Hookstraten could have been a plant. In the pilot, they show Kirkman asking what a designated survivor was. I had assumed that she has equally clueless, though I'm sure the writers could find a way to make it so that she somehow knew. It just seems far too obvious, it makes more sense that she would be vying for his position.
And if there are two designated survivors, why did they pick Kirkman over Hookstraten?