VOA慢速英语2019 川普弹劾案进入参议院审理（在线收听）

The trial to decide whether to remove U.S. President Donald Trump from office began this week. Trump is charged with abusing his power as president, and with obstructing – or blocking – Congress during its investigation. Lawmakers in the Senate will hear arguments both for and against removal.

决定是否将川普赶下台的审判本周开始进行。川普被控滥用职权并且妨碍国会调查。参议员将会听取赞成或反对罢免川普的论据。

Abuse of power

滥用权力

Seven lawmakers from the House of Representatives are making the argument for removing Trump from office. They are all Democrats; Trump is a Republican.

7名众议员提出了罢免川普的论点。他们都是民主党人，而川普是共和党人。

Those Democrats say Trump abused the power of his office by urging the president of Ukraine to investigate a political rival. During that time, Trump was withholding hundreds of millions of dollars in military aid to Ukraine.

那些民主党人表示，川普滥用职权敦促乌克兰总统调查他的一位政治对手。在此期间，川普扣押了美国对乌克兰数亿美元的军事援助。

The Democrats say Trump was inviting a foreign country to interfere in American politics. And, they say, his request served his own political interests instead of the national security interests of the country.

民主党人表示，川普是在邀请外国干涉美国政治。他们还表示，川普这一要求符合他自己的政治利益，而不是美国的国家安全利益。

Lawyers for Trump will defend the president. They say there is no direct evidence that the president was connecting the release of aid to Ukraine to agreeing to an investigation. They point out that, in time, the aid money was released without any investigation.

川普的律师将为他作出辩护。他们表示，没有直接证据表明川普总统将发放对乌克兰援助与乌克兰同意调查联系起来。他们指出，在乌克兰没有进行调查的情况下，这笔援助资金也得到了及时发放。

In addition, Trump's lawyers say it is not unusual for foreign aid to be slowed or stopped. And, they say, presidents have the power to make decisions without political opponents questioning their reasons.

此外，川普的律师表示，减缓或停止对外国援助并不罕见。他们还表示，总统有权在没有政治对手质疑其理由的情况下做出决定。

Obstruction of justice

妨碍司法公正

Democrats from the House of Representatives are also charging Trump with blocking Congress's investigation into the president's phone call with Ukraine. They note that one of the jobs of the House of Representatives is to investigate possible wrongdoing by the president.

众议院的民主党人还指控川普阻止国会对他与乌克兰的电话进行调查。他们指出，众议院的职责之一就是调查总统可能犯下的错误。

However, they point out that Trump's office directed witnesses not to testify or give related documents to Congressional investigators. They say that witnesses who chose to come forward suffered public statements from the president that seemed to urge them not to give information. In addition, several government agencies followed the example of the White House and refused to provide documents.

但是他们指出，川普办公室指示证人不要作证，也不要给国会调查人员提供相关文件。他们表示，选择挺身而出的证人受到了总统公开声明的压力，声明似乎在敦促他们不要提供信息。此外，一些政府机构也效仿白宫拒绝提供文件。

Trump's lawyers answer that a president refusing to take part in an investigation is not unusual. They say government lawyers and past decisions have found that the president is protected from congressional testimony. Their position is that when officials blocked Trump's advisers from speaking or giving information, they were protecting the rights and powers of the president – not blocking an investigation.

川普的律师回应称，总统拒绝参加调查并不罕见。他们表示，政府律师和历史裁决认为总统免于国会作证。他们的立场是，官员们阻止川普的顾问发表讲话或提供信息时，他们是在保护总统的权利和权力，而不是阻止调查。

An ‘impeachable offense'

难以完成的问罪

In addition to the two charges, lawyers from both sides are arguing over a third point: whether a president needs to carry out a crime in order to be removed from office.

除了这两项指控之外，双方律师还在争论第三点：总统是否只有犯了罪才能被免职。

Democrats say no. They say the U.S. Constitution permits a president to be removed for a number of wrong actions. Those include, in the words of the Constitution, "Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors."

民主党人称并非如此。他们表示，《美国宪法》允许因为总统的一系列错误行动而将其免职。用宪法的原文来说就是：“叛国、受贿或其它重罪和轻罪。”

Trump's lawyers argue that the action must be so bad that it threatens the constitutional order or violates the law. They say nothing that Trump has been accused of meets that level. They warn that if Trump is removed, future presidents risk being attacked by opposition lawmakers who guess what they are thinking or feeling.

川普的律师辩称，这些行动必须非常恶劣，威胁到宪法秩序或是违反法律。他们称川普被指控的行动没有达到这一水平。他们警告说，如果川普被免职，未来的总统可能会受到猜测他们想法或感受的反对派的攻击。

In the end, the senators will decide whether or not to convict the president. A two-thirds vote on either charge is required to remove Trump from office.

参议员们最终将裁决总统是否有罪。两项指控中的任意一项都必须获得2/3票数支持才能将川普免职。