'Scandal' Recap: A White House Divided Cannot Stand

— -- On Thursday's episode of Scandal, the White House tried to cover up President Fitzgerald Grant's affair with Olivia Pope, but it was too late because Liv had already outed herself to the press.

Too bad Fitz and first lady Mellie Grant were in the middle of an interview, claiming their relationship was stronger than ever. Press Secretary Abby Whelan -- in true Olivia Pope fashion -- shut down the interview, pretending there was a security issue at the White House.

Back in the Oval Office, Fitz, Liv, Abby and Chief of Staff Elizabeth North tried to decide a course of action. Either Fitz and Mellie would pretend they're back together or the White House would paint Olivia "as the trashy hooker." Fitz didn't like that idea so instead he tried to negotiate with Mellie in order for her to agree to do the interview.

Fitz would soon learn how hard that was to do, as Mellie called former Chief of Staff Cyrus Beene. Cyrus asked Mellie what exactly she wanted: "I want to destroy Olivia Pope," she told him. "I want the Oval."

Meanwhile, Abby was furious at Liv, her best friend. "You lied right to my face and then I had to get up on that podium and be humiliated in front of all my peers. I could've turned off the cameras," Abby said. "You didn't think I'd be good enough at my job to handle it." Liv later apologized for lying and explained, "This is new for me." Abby accepted her apology, saying, "I learned all my moves from the best in the business."

Back in the White House, Liv was having second thoughts, so of course she called her former flame, Jake Ballard. "I think I made a mistake," she told him. Jake, being the ever-present backup boyfriend, told her, "Just say the word and I'm there."

Negotiations were still heating up and Fitz agreed to give Mellie his support when she ran for president, attending six campaign stops. He even agreed to not give Liv his last name. But she still didn't take the deal. Fitz, thinking he could fix this, apologized out on the balcony. "I didn't always say thank you but deep down I know how I got here," he told his estranged wife. "I'm sorry." But just when Fitz thought his apology worked, Mellie backed out of the interview, leaving the White House with Cyrus.

So Abby had to do what Olivia would've done -- throw Olivia under the bus. Although Fitz was upset, Liv said, "Watch me choose you!"

Back at Olivia Pope & Associates, Jake noticed that the Louvre Museum in Paris was burning so he went to see Olivia's father, the former head of secret spy agency B613, in jail to let him know. Something's up...but what exactly is it? Is the U.S. under a security threat?

Find out next week when "Scandal" returns Thursday on ABC at 9 p.m.