24: Season 5
Logan prepares to meet Russian president Yuri Suvarov to sign an anti-terrorism defense treaty, seeing the event as the highlight of his presidency. He is startled by the news of David Palmer's assassination, which takes place the morning the treaty is to be signed. First Lady Martha Logan insists that Palmer had previously contacted her, warning of a possible terrorist attack. Logan, while seemingly sympathetic, is skeptical given her history of mental illness. Meanwhile, Eastern European separatists take hostages at an airport in opposition to the treaty. Logan orders CTU to organize a rescue, allowing the treaty to be signed as planned.
Walt Cummings comes to Logan and admits his complicity in Palmer's murder and the airport incident, and further confesses his involvement in an imminent terrorist attack involving the dispersal of nerve gas. Cummings claims that the attack will justify a stronger U.S. presence in Asia, and promote a greater acquisition of oil from the region. He also says that the American agent monitoring the attack has gone dark and is now beyond Cummings' reach. Logan is apparently appalled by Cummings' actions.
Meanwhile, Bauer, who has emerged from hiding to investigate Palmer's assassination, discovers that Cummings knows more about the plot than what he let on to Logan. After convincing Secret Service agent Aaron Pierce to let him speak with Logan, Bauer confronts Cummings and forces him to confess. Logan promptly orders Cummings arrested. Unfortunately, when government forces move in on the location of the nerve gas, they find it missing and the American agent dead. The terrorists had apparently discovered Cummings' plan.
Shortly after reinstating Bauer at CTU, Logan learns that Cummings has committed suicide. Meanwhile, the terrorists plan to release the nerve gas in a Los Angeles shopping mall. CTU head Lynn McGill urges Logan to allow the terrorists to succeed—potentially killing up to nine-hundred Americans—in the hopes of catching them and safeguarding the remaining canisters. Despite Audrey Raines' insistence that such a decision would be immoral, Logan agrees to McGill's plan. However, due to Bauer's last-minute intervention, the attack only kills eleven people.
Immediately thereafter, separatist leader Vladimir Bierko gives an ultimatum to Logan, demanding President Suvarov's motorcade route or else face the release of the remaining nerve gas. Ultimately, Logan caves to their demands. Unbeknownst to Logan, Martha joins Suvarov's motorcade in a successful attempt to have the route changed. After CTU thwarts the planned attack, Logan's vice president, Hal Gardner, suggests that he declare martial law until the end of the crisis. Logan does so, much to the dismay of Martha and Novick.
It is revealed that Logan has collaborated with former CTU agent Christopher Henderson in orchestrating the day's attacks. When CTU finally defeats the terrorists, Logan turns his full attention to eliminating all evidence of his crimes, ordering Henderson to stop Bauer and Wayne Palmer from retrieving an audio tape incriminating him in David Palmer's assassination. Logan has Bauer framed for the murder and issues an executive warrant for his arrest. When questioned, Logan claims to have evidence which he will disclose after Bauer is in custody.
Once Jack retrieves the tape, he heads to Van Nuys Airport to hand it off to Secretary of Defense James Heller, with the intent to bring down Logan. Once Heller is in possession of the recording, he attempts to cut a deal with Logan, requesting he step down quietly, and in return the recording will never see the light of day. Logan prepares to sign his resignation with Gardner being his witness before Henderson reveals he has retrieved the recording from Heller's men and Jack. Logan then asks Heller to tender his resignation.
Later, Logan is told by one of his co-conspirators, Graem, that Martha must be silenced. Logan confesses to Martha his culpability in Palmer's death and implores her to remain quiet for the good of the country. Logan tries one final time to control the situation, when Bauer hijacks a 727 plane being co-piloted by the man who has the recording. Graem fakes a distress signal from the plane, giving Logan the pretext to shoot it down. When the plane makes an emergency landing, Novick talks Logan out of shooting it down. Jack escapes with the tape.
Logan and Graem agree that the president must commit suicide, reasoning that his trial would do irreparable damage to the country. After apologizing to Martha, Logan prepares to shoot himself. Before he can, Logan receives a call from Miles Papazian, telling him that he will prevent the U.S. Attorney General from hearing the tape. Once he learns that Papazian has erased the tape, he cancels Bauer's arrest warrant. Logan meets with Aaron Pierce, whom he had taken prisoner before he could meet with Martha several hours earlier. Pierce refuses any deal with Logan, and Logan orders a Secret Service agent to kill Pierce, although Pierce subsequently escaped with help from Martha and Mike Novick.
At 5:59:03 a.m., Martha stalls the president by sleeping with him, allowing Bauer to sneak aboard Marine One. Once he is aboard, the president is kidnapped and interrogated by Bauer. Jack is unable to extract a confession from Logan, and is arrested by authorities. However, unbeknownst to Logan, Jack secretly placed a microtransmitter which later records him confessing his deeds to Martha. Logan is consequently arrested by U.S. Marshals during his eulogy of David Palmer, and is led away while Martha and Novick look on.
Karen Hayes speculates that Logan may be granted clemency for his actions in exchange for his immediate resignation in order to protect the country from the embarrassment of a trial. Hal Gardner was then expected to be sworn in as the new president. It was revealed during Day 6 that Logan resigned from office after pleading guilty to obstructing justice, and was placed under house arrest. His role in Palmer's assassination and the events of Day 5 were not publicized.
