‘House of Cards’: Who Is Sean Jeffries, Reporter for the Washington Herald?

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Sean Jeffries on ‘House of Cards.’ (Netflix)

In House of Cards‘ fifth season, a major player is Sean Jeffries, a reporter who works for The Washington Herald. So who exactly is this character? Is he someone new, or did he play a role in previous seasons?

Jeffries is a brand new character to Season 5. The first scene we see him in occurs in the season premiere, when Tom Hammerschmidt starts working with Jeffries on the Frank Underwood investigation. Though Jeffries is actually a style reporter, he has a reputation for being able to get anyone to talk to him, and Hammerschmidt wants to utilize those skills.

Tom Hammerschmidt used to be the editor in chief of the Washington Herald, but he ended up being asked to resign in a previous season, largely because of his disagreements with reporter Zoe Barnes. It is stated in House of Cards Chapter 53 that Jeffries joined the newspaper not longer after Hammerschmidt left. However, we had not seen Jeffries in the series until now.

We get a glimpse at Jeffries’ talents in Chapter 54, when he runs into White House Press Secretary Seth Grayson in a restaurant. Jeffries invites Grayson to sit down for some drinks, and although Grayson has never heard of Jeffries, he agrees, probably because Jeffries is just so personable.

Later, in Chapter 56, Jeffries speaks to Seth Grayson at the Underwood campaign party, saying that he is celebrating because he is a new member of Tom Hammerschmidt’s investigation team. In this scene, Jeffries attempts to strike a deal with Grayson in which he will tell Grayson what Hammerschmidt is up to in exchange for…something. The conversation never gets that far, as at this point in the season, Grayson is pretty sure Frank Underwood is going to lose the election.

Jeffries continues to make the rounds at the Underwood campaign party, saying that they are a talkative crowd that don’t say much. It’s Jeffries that begins to put together that the Underwoods are behind what’s happening in Tennessee, something Grayson dismisses as a conspiracy.

As the season rolls on, and Tom Hammerschmidt is wary to investigate anything that could be perceived as a fringe conspiracy theory, Sean Jeffries seems to be the one who senses that there is a major story just waiting to be uncovered.

The role of Sean Jeffries is played by Korey Jackson, an actor who has also played supporting characters in Daredevil, The Good Wife, Nurse Jackie, and Homeland.