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Donnatella 'Donna' Moss, Press Secretary for the Santos-McGarry Campaign , former Press Secretary for Bob Russell for President, and former Senior Assistant to the Deputy Chief of Staff for Strategic Planning, is a Fictional Character played by Janel Moloney on the Television Serial Drama '' The West Wing ''. Although all of the senior staff's assistants are continuing characters with personal backgrounds, Donna was the most well-defined and frequently featured staff member on the assistant level.

Donna was Josh Lyman 's assistant until she quit her job in the episode "Impact Winter" (season 6). It was revealed in the episode Faith Based Initiative in season 6 that the new position she had taken was that of senior aide to Will Bailey - Vice President Bob Russell 's presidential campaign manager. Her new position placed her in direct conflict with Josh, who resigned in that episode to run the campaign of retiring US Congressman Matt Santos , whom he had convinced to run for President. After Santos won the nomination, Donna applied to work for Josh at the Santos campaign. However, all of the personal attacks on Santos that Donna made as Russell's press secretary forced Josh to refuse her application. Later, on the Santos campaign trail, Donna was hired (unbeknownst to Josh) by Communications Director Louise "Lou" Thornton as a campaign spokesperson.

Donna was born in Warroad, Minnesota to an Irish (or Irish-American ) father and an Italian (or Italian-American ) mother. She found out in the third season that she is a no longer a United States Citizen , after the Minnesota town in which she was born ended up in Canada due to border changes. However, her citizenship was granted to her again after the discovery of a grandfather clause in the law. She later moved to Wisconsin where she attended University Of Wisconsin-Madison and dropped out half-way through to support her older boyfriend as he went through med school. Shortly after this monumentous decision to help him out, he dumped her. On what was likely an impulsive decision based on her hurt over her boyfriend's action she dropped everything in her life in Wisconsin and came to New Hampshire in order to volunteer for the Bartlet for President campaign. It was there she attracted the notice of Josh Lyman.

Donna was a Recurring Character during the first season, although she appeared in every episode, and has been a regular since the second. She was seriously injured as a result of a Terrorist Attack on the American Convoy carrying her and others in Gaza . At the end of the fifth season, it was revealed that Donna suffered from a Pulmonary Embolism and had to undergo life-threatening surgery, which she survived.

Donna then joined Bob Russell's presidential campaign and took on the role of Press Secretary. After Vice President Russell's loss in the Democratic Primary, she was hired by her former boss Josh Lyman to be the Press Secretary for Matt Santos' successful presidential campaign. Now a spokesman for Santos during the transition, she has been offered positions in the new administration as Deputy Press Secretary and as Chief of Staff to incoming First Lady Helen Santos.


Donna and Josh's relationship


There is a continuing, unrequited love story—or so some would say—between Donna Moss and deputy White House chief of staff Josh Lyman. The pair had not only a close working relationship, but a close personal friendship as well.

Since the first episode of the show up until the middle of season 6, when Donna quit her assistant's job, the pair constantly flirted and bantered with one another:

  • Donna encouraged Josh to date pollster Joey Lucas in the second season, which led to two revelations: Josh intentionally sabotages Donna's dating life and Joey thought Donna was encouraging Josh to pursue her as a misdirection ploy because Donna was in love with Josh, the first overt mention of a possible romance.

  • Donna had a brief affair with Republican House attorney, Cliff Calley, while he was involved in the investigation of misconduct relating to the concealment of President Bartlet's multiple sclerosis. Calley, due to his personal relationship with Moss, discovered that she lied under oath about keeping a diary, forcing Josh to cut a secret deal with Calley.

  • Things slowly picked up through Season 4 as Donna went through a brief fling with White House military advisor Jack Reese, another Republican, a fact which did not escape Josh's notice. Meanwhile, Josh's relationship with feminist Amy Gardner ended (although the two very briefly got back together at the beginning of Season 5). Donna recruited Josh to help her land a date with Jack, and although Josh attempted to help her it did more to reveal Josh's feelings for Donna than anything else. In the Season 4 finale, Amy called Donna on her feelings for Josh.

  • In the fifth season, on the advice of C.J. Cregg, Donna tried to broaden her horizons past Josh and pursue her own social life outside of the White House. This prompted Donna to sleep with journalist Colin Ayres while she was on a Congressional delegation to the Gaza Strip. Donna was badly injured in a terrorist attack shortly after her encounter with Colin, and both Josh and Colin rushed to her bedside at a military hospital in Germany. Colin found it strange that her boss flew across an ocean to be with her, but Josh unconvincingly claimed that he was just Donna's friend. Later, in the sixth season premiere '' NSF Thurmont '', Colin called Josh out on his feelings for Donna while she was still in surgery and then left to go back to Gaza.

  • At the end of the fifth season finale ''Memorial Day'', Josh was bringing a dozen red roses, a traditional sign of love, to Donna in her hospital room only to find that she'd been rushed into surgery for a Pulmonary Embolism , the same thing that had killed his father. Donna, however, came out of the surgery fine.

  • When Donna attempted to gain a job with the Santos campaign, Josh refused, saying "If you think that I don't miss you (Donna) every day..."

  • On the episode "The Al Smith Dinner", Donna has been hired on as a spokesperson for the Santos campaign by Lou. Josh is startled to discover that it is Donna whom Lou hired. Lou forces them "to work whatever it is between them out".

  • In the 7th season episode "The Cold", Josh and Donna kiss passionately after Donna informs Josh that Congressman Santos pulled even and ahead of Vinick in several key states. Later in the episode, Donna discreetly leaves the key to her hotel room on the table for Josh, but an assistant notices the key before Josh can retrieve it and returns the key to Donna.

  • In the recent episode "Election Day I", Josh and Donna have sex twice in Josh's hotel room. They are very apprehensive and unsure about what they are doing after they do it each time, but when Ronna and Edie Ortega finally bust them, they laugh and seem a little more jovial about it. Josh seems hesitant to push Donna about what happened, but shows urges to connect with her, especially after they have sex the first time and in the morning when he thinks she is sneaking out, he comes to the bathroom and leans in on her when she is looking at AP news, and he comes close to her very gently and softly, as if to hold her.


Actress Moloney noted in an interview on ABCs "The View" that she "hopes" that Donna and Josh finally get together, and that she feels that something might happen in the 7th season.

However the show's next election turns out, Moloney doubts Donna "will be an assistant anymore. She's kind of found her own voice. More than almost any other character on television, I think she's really grown up on the show."


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