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24 character
Karen Hayes
Gender	Female
Jobs held	White House - Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs/National Security Advisor Homeland Security – Division Director FBI Counterterrorism Division (CTD) -Division Agent in Charge FBI Counterterrorism Division (CTD) – Senior Agent FBI - Special Agent
Affiliation	White House CTU DHS
Family	N/A
Spouse	Bill Buchanan
Current status	Active
Portrayed by	Jayne Atkinson
Seasons	5, 6

Karen Hayes Buchanan is a fictional character on the television program 24 portrayed by actress Jayne Atkinson. She appeared in 12 episodes of the fifth season. She is part of the main cast in season six. Image File history File links Information_icon. ... 24 is an Emmy and Golden Globe award-winning American television series created by Joel Surnow and Robert Cochran, and produced by Imagine Television. ... Image File history File links Karen_Hayes_S6. ... The hand mirror and comb of the Roman Goddess Venus is often used to represent the female sex. ... North façade of the White House, seen from Pennsylvania Avenue. ... The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS), commonly known as Homeland Security, is a Cabinet department of the Federal Government of the United States with the responsibility of protecting the territory of the United States from terrorist attacks and responding to natural disasters. ... The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is a Federal police force which is the principal investigative arm of the United States Department of Justice (DOJ). ... The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is a Federal police force which is the principal investigative arm of the United States Department of Justice (DOJ). ... The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is a Federal police force which is the principal investigative arm of the United States Department of Justice (DOJ). ... North façade of the White House, seen from Pennsylvania Avenue. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS), commonly known as Homeland Security, is a Cabinet department of the Federal Government of the United States with the responsibility of protecting the territory of the United States from terrorist attacks and responding to natural disasters. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Jayne Atkinson (born February 18, 1959) in Bournemouth, Dorset, UK is an American stage, film, and television actress. ... The fifth season cast of 24. ... Season Six, also known as Day 6, of the television series 24 premiered on Sunday, January 14, 2007. ... A fictional character is any person who appears in a work of fiction. ... 24 is an Emmy and Golden Globe award-winning American television series created by Joel Surnow and Robert Cochran, and produced by Imagine Television. ... Jayne Atkinson (born February 18, 1959) in Bournemouth, Dorset, UK is an American stage, film, and television actress. ...

Background

Before joining the United States Department of Homeland Security, Hayes was an FBI agent. She worked within the FBI's Counterterrorism Division, eventually becoming Senior Agent and later a Division Agent in Charge. The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS), commonly known as Homeland Security, is a Cabinet department of the Federal Government of the United States with the responsibility of protecting the territory of the United States from terrorist attacks and responding to natural disasters. ... The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is a Federal police force which is the principal investigative arm of the United States Department of Justice (DOJ). ... Counter-terrorism refers to the practices, tactics, and strategies that governments, militaries, and other groups adopt in order to fight terrorism. ...

Hayes has a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from Princeton University. Bachelor of Arts (B.A., BA or A.B.), from the Latin Artium Baccalaureus is an undergraduate bachelors degree awarded for either a course or a program in the liberal arts or the sciences, or both. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Princeton University is a coeducational private university located in Princeton, New Jersey, in the United States of America. ...

Overview

Hayes was the Division Director of the United States Department of Homeland Security's Los Angeles branch at the time of Day 5. Vice President Hal Gardner authorized her to absorb and essentially replace the workers at CTU - Los Angeles after a major terrorist attack left many of CTU's original employees dead. Hayes quickly usurped the current CTU head Bill Buchanan and replaced most of CTU's staff with her own employees at Homeland Security. The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS), commonly known as Homeland Security, is a Cabinet department of the Federal Government of the United States with the responsibility of protecting the territory of the United States from terrorist attacks and responding to natural disasters. ... The fifth season cast of 24. ... Federal courts Supreme Court Chief Justice Associate Justices Elections Presidential elections Midterm elections Political Parties Democratic Republican Third parties State & Local government Governors Legislatures State Courts Counties, Cities, and Towns Other countries Politics Portal      The Vice President of the United States is the first in the presidential line of succession... Hal Gardner is a fictional character from the TV series 24, played by Ray Wise. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Nickname: City of Angels Location within Los Angeles County in the state of California Coordinates: State California County Los Angeles County Incorporated April 4, 1850  - Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa Area    - City  498. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS), commonly known as Homeland Security, is a Cabinet department of the Federal Government of the United States with the responsibility of protecting the territory of the United States from terrorist attacks and responding to natural disasters. ...

Throughout the rest of the day, she began to have doubts on whether the absorption was necessary. She also grew suspicious of her superiors when President Charles Logan issued an executive order for the detainment and arrest of Jack Bauer, who had previously been helping CTU and Hayes, for assassinating former President David Palmer. When Hayes queried Logan for evidence, he told her it was forthcoming. This was especially troubling for Hayes because her workers were already hard at work tracking Christopher Henderson, a known member of the conspiracy responsible for Palmer's death, and were forced to shift resources in order to find Bauer. Unbeknownst to Hayes, Logan had issued this order so that he could silence Bauer, who was at the time gathering evidence that implicated Logan in the day's events. The presidential seal was first used by President Hayes in 1880 and last modified in 1959 by adding the 50th star for Hawaii. ... Charles Logan is a fictional character played by Gregory Itzin in the television series 24. ... Jack Bauer is the protagonist of the American television series 24. ... David Palmer is a fictional Democratic President of the United States of America played by Dennis Haysbert as part of the television series, 24. ... Christopher Henderson is a fictional character from the television series 24. ...

She followed her orders by tracking the movements of Audrey Raines and Chloe O'Brian, two of the few CTU workers that were still active after the Homeland Security absorption. When she discovered Bauer's location and notified President Logan of this, he told her not to send a CTU squad because he was going to use the military to capture Bauer. Hayes was perplexed by the President's actions. Her suspicions were further heightened when she learned from Mike Novick that Logan had never contacted the military about Bauer. Audrey Raines is a fictional character played by actress Kim Raver on the television show 24. ... Chloe OBrian is a fictional character played by actress Mary Lynn Rajskub on the US television show 24. ... Mike Novick is a fictional character played by Jude Ciccolella as part of the television series, 24. ...

Chloe was subsequently detained for taking action directly against Homeland Security. She was able to escape detention, although in order to get past Shari Rothenberg, Chloe was forced to disclose the truth about President Logan. When Hayes questioned Shari about that conversation, Shari told her of Chloe's suspicions. A phone call to Novick then revealed that no member of the executive office had still yet seen Logan's "evidence" against Bauer. Based on the President's actions in the past hours, Hayes was convinced that Logan was indeed manipulating CTU in order to kill Bauer. Realizing that Chloe was vital to Bauer's success in finding evidence against Logan, Hayes called Buchanan to warn that Homeland Security had traced Chloe to his house and a squad was on their way to arrest her. The following are characters who played minor roles at CTU over the course of 24s five seasons. ...

While Jack followed the tape onto a private jet leaving Van Nuys Airport, Hayes worked with Chloe to determine which passenger had intercepted the tape from Henderson. When the pilot begins to depressurize the baggage hold where Jack is trapped, Hayes patches Jack through to the pilot to alert him to the situation. Eventually, she and Chloe determine the copilot has the audio tape. Van Nuys Airport (IATA: VNY,ICAO: KVNY) is a public airport located in Van Nuys, California in the San Fernando Valley, within the Los Angeles city limits. ...

President Logan responds by ordering an F18 to fire upon the plane. Hayes brings Chloe back to CTU where, along with Buchanan, the three work to find Jack a landing space suitable for an emergency landing. Meanwhile, Hayes is reluctantly forced to disclose the current situation to Miles. Later, she orders Vladimir Bierko be transferred to holding at Division. Bierko subsequently escapes and Hayes recommends that Henderson be offered a deal in exchange for his help in finding Bierko. With Henderson's information, CTU learns that he plans to seize a Russian submarine in a Los Angeles port, pursuant to the treaty signed earlier by Logan. Hayes, together with Buchanan and Chloe, aids Jack in successfully stopping Bierko from firing the submarine's missiles. Vladimir Iosifovitch Bierko is a fictional character from the fifth season of the television series 24. ...

After Jack successfully obtains a confession from Logan, Hayes prepares to leave CTU for the day. She acknowledges to Buchanan that she will strongly recommend to newly appointed President Gardner that he remain as Special Agent in Charge of CTU. Both Hayes and Buchanan indicate a desire to begin a social relationship.

Day 6

Sometime before Day 6 began, Karen married Bill Buchanan. She was also appointed to the White House as National Security Advisor to President Wayne Palmer. At the beginning of day 6, Karen argues with Chief of Staff Thomas Lennox about his plan of creating detention facilities for Muslims in America. Karen believes that Lennox's detention facilities are no better than concentration camps. A few minutes later Karen receives a phone call about another attack in Los Angeles. CTU suspects that Hamri Al-Assad is behind the attacks. Karen tells the president that her analysts believe Assad's death will stop the organization from attacking again. Shortly after, Jack talks to the president through CTU explaining that he escaped from Fayed and that killing Assad would be a mistake. Karen, Lennox, and President Palmer seem doubtful, however. They have reason to believe that Assad is responsible based on twenty years of evidence. They all question Jack's state of mind after being tortured in China for nearly two years. Reluctantly, President Palmer continues with the airstrike to take out Assad. CTU later learns that Abu Fayed was indeed behind the attacks all along, causing Karen to regret her skepticism about Jack's message. She suggests that Assad get a presidential pardon in exchange for aid in finding Fayed. The Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs, commonly referred to as the National Security Advisor, serves as the chief advisor to the President of the United States on national security issues. ... Wayne Palmer is a fictional character on the television series 24. ... Season Six, also known as Day 6, of the television series 24 premiered on Sunday, January 14, 2007. ... The term Chief of Staff can refer to: The White House Chief of Staff, the highest-ranking member of the Executive Office of the President of the United States. ... Spoiler warning: Thomas Lennox is a fictional character from the television series 24, played by Peter MacNicol. ... A concentration camp is a large detention centre created for political opponents, aliens, specific ethnic or religious groups, civilians of a critical war-zone, or other groups of people, often during a war. ... Hamri Al-Assad is a fictional character from the sixth season of the television series 24. ... Abu Fayed is a fictional character from the sixth season of the television series 24. ... A pardon is the forgiveness of a crime and the penalty associated with it. ...

After the nuclear bomb's detonation, Karen continues to maintain her stance against Tom as he aims to impose more restrictions on civil liberties. However, Tom confronts her with evidence that she had covered up an incident months ago in which CTU, under Bill's direction, had detained a group of terror suspects, including Fayed, and released all of them on insufficient evidence. Karen had sequestered the file in order to conceal her husband's role is setting free a man who would turn out to be an extremely dangerous terrorist, although she continues to insist that there was no evidence of Fayed's guilt at the time. Though Karen retorts that Lennox has his own incriminating secrets, she is forced to resign. When she delivers her resignation to President Palmer, he guesses that her long-running dispute with Tom is the cause, but cannot persuade her to stay. As she leaves, Karen requests to be transferred to CTU in Los Angeles and assures Wayne that in his heart, he knows how to deal with the day's challenges.

While at the airport, Bill calls Karen about the assassination attempt on Wayne Palmer. Shocked at the news, Karen immediately revokes her resignation and returns to the White House.