Lawyers, Guns and Money

**"Lawyers, Guns and Money"** is an episode of *JAG* titled after the Warren Zevon song. It first aired on May 6, 2003. Directed by Bradford May. Written by Stephen Zito and Dana Coen.

## Brief synopsis

Harm returns. Bud does poorly in representing Sturgis, who stands accused of giving inadequate counsel. The admiral tries hard to propose to Meredith. Mac poses as Webb's pregnant wife while undercover for the CIA in Paraguay.

## Plot summary

The teaser, rather than setting up a court case for the episode, involves a finding in Iraq that suggests terrorists are massing weapons in Paraguay in preparation for an attack on America.

Commander Rabb is back at JAG headquarters as a free man after having been accused of killing Lt. Singer. Rabb is grateful to NCIS Agent Gibbs but bears no ill will towards Commander Ted Lindsey, who framed Rabb for Singer's murder. However, Rabb is dismayed NCIS left his office stuff in boxes, didn't put anything back where it goes. Commander Turner suggests redecorating.

The case of Lt. Duncan (from "Standards of Conduct") is revisited on appeal. Duncan's civilian attorney, Harlan Bradford (Mark Humphrey), charges that Sturgis did not put up an adequate defense for Duncan. Sturgis asks Lt. Roberts to handle the appeal, and Roberts doesn't seem to do a good job of it.

In moot court preparation with Rabb as judge and Petty Officer Tiner (Chuck Carrington) as defense, Roberts expresses doubt that the defense will make anything of the issue that Duncan wasn't aware he wasn't yet a civilian at the time he made self-incriminating statements. However, at the Navy/Marine Corps Court of Appeals, that is exactly what happens, and Roberts becomes flustered in the delivery of his arguments. However, by the end of the episode, Roberts says he doesn't think the Court of Appeals will overturn the case.

Admiral Chegwidden's attempts to propose to Prof. Meredith Cavanaugh (Isabella Hoffmann) meet with obstacles: the waiter at the restaurant gives Cavanaugh the check instead of the ring, and the next night, at Chegwidden's home, his dog Dammit eats the cake on which the ring had been placed.

Clayton Webb asks Lt. Colonel Sarah MacKenzie to pose as "Jane Williams," his pregnant wife in Paraguay. Mac agrees. Jane is also a diamond expert, issued a half-million dollar diamond necklace by the CIA that has blood on the catch. They go to Paraguay, where Webb, posing as the arms dealer Williams, gives the drug dealer Raul Garcia (Marco Rodriguez) Stinger missile circuit boards in exchange for diamonds.

Gunnery Sergeant Galindez (Randy Vasquez) is also undercover, posing as an employee of Garcia's. Alvaro Camacho (Louis Aguirre), Webb's bodyguard, falls back, allowing Garcia's men to point guns at Webb and Mac.

Before leaving for Paraguay, Mac visits Rabb. She tells him she's going away for an unspecified amount of time. Rabb becomes very worried and tries calling Webb's mother, who is very tight-lipped.

The episode is marked "To be continued..."

## Inspection hits

Tiner's excessive involvement in Chegwidden's personal life reaches an idiotic high in this episode. In real life, an admiral's yeoman might have some awareness of the admiral's personal relationships, but either would not be involved to the extent that Tiner is or would be involved in such a way as to be a clear-cut violation of the rules against the fraternization of officers and enlisted personnel.