Plot Synopsis

THE PRESIDENTS' GATEKEEPERS showcases the Chiefs of Staff of the Presidents of the United States of America, revealing key moments, quiet conversations, back room bargains and heated debates that made history. Called the world's second toughest job, the White House chiefs of staff translate the presidents' policies into reality -- or disaster. They are the inside eyewitnesses to history, and the confidants with whom the president, and the first lady, share their secrets. Using first-person interviews along with pictures from Pulitzer Prize-winning White House photographer David Hume Kennerly, this series presents the ultimate insider's guide to the modern presidency. The series spans nine administrations with interviews from former Presidents Jimmy Carter and George H.W. Bush as well all 20 living chiefs of staff including Rahm Emanuel, Donald Rumsfeld, Dick Cheney, James A. Baker III, Kenneth Duberstein, Leon Panetta, Andrew Card, Erskine Bowles, Mack McLarty, Bill Daley, John Podesta, Jack Lew and current Obama chief Denis McDonough. Discovery aired the U.S. premiere of this series on September 11 and 12, 2013 at 9-11pm ET/PT.