James Bennett
James Richard "Jim" Bennett is the former President of the United States. He appears in the film, Clear and Present Danger.
Biography
Clear and Present Danger
James Bennett is the former Governor of Ohio. He later became the Vice President under President George W. Bush and succeeded him following his assassination.
In 1994, his close friend Peter Hardin and his family were murdered by members of the Colombian drug cartel. When Bennett learns that Hardin was connected to the cartel and skimmed $650 million, he informed his National Security Advisor, James Cutter, that the cartels represent a "clear and present danger to the United States". He instructs Cutter to use force against the cartel and later sends acting Deputy Director of Intelligence Jack Ryan to Colombia to investigate Hardin's cartel connection.
Bennett attempts to claim the money Hardin's stole from the cartel by sending FBI Director Emil Jacobs to meet Ryan in Colombia and negotiate with the Colombian Attorney General for the money. When the cartel leader, Ernesto Escobedo, learns of this he sends his intelligence officer, Félix Cortez, try to retrieve the funds. Cortez plans an ambush, manipulating it to implicate Escobedo. Ryan manages to escape the ambush but the remainder of the entourage, including Jacobs, are killed as a result.
Following the deaths of Escobedo and Cortez, Bennett is confronted by Ryan who tells him he intends to inform the Congressional Oversight Committee about the conspiracy despite the damage it could do to his career. Bennett tries to silence Ryan but his attempt fails as Ryan follows through and testifies before Congress.