班加西案件调查——政治工具还是还原真相

AS IT IS 2015-10-22 Benghazi: Witch Hunt or Valid¹ Investigation²? 班加西案件调查——政治工具还是还原真相

This will not be the first time that Congress asks about the deaths of four Americans in Benghazi, Libya.

This is the eighth time Congress has probed the issue. 

Hillary Clinton was Secretary of State when the U.S. consulate³ in Benghazi, Libya, was attacked on September 11, 2012. Four Americans, including Ambassador Chris Stevens, were killed in the terrorist attack.

The House Select Committee on Benghazi says it is searching for answers to what happened that night. Was enough protection given to the Americans working in Libya? The committee’s work took a turn when it discovered that Hillary Clinton used a private server for her email when she was Secretary of State — something that is not illegal, but has been criticized as irregular.

A political cloud hangs over the hearings.

Commentators⁴ have filled the airwaves saying this could be a turning point for Hillary Clinton’s campaign. If she does well, it will help her. But if she stumbles under Republican questioning, it could damage her presidential chances.

Critics have questioned the time,   money and motivation of the committee’s investigation.

Representative Adam Schiff is a Democrat⁵ from California, and serves on the committee. He told the New York Times that they have spent $4.5 million over 17 months. But, he said, they have not uncovered anything new about the Benghazi attacks.

PolitiFact found it “largely accurate” to say “there was no overt⁶ wrongdoing, just room for improvement” found by previous Congressional investigations⁷.

The committee will ask about Ms. Clinton's emails. And whether or not she and the Obama administration did enough to protect U.S. personnel overseas.

Compared to other Congressional investigations, this is one of the longest. Longer than the Watergate investigation, that ended with President Richard Nixon resigning in 1974. Other investigations have included Iran-Contra, Black Hawk⁸ Down, and the bombing of  the Marine⁹ Barracks in Beirut, Lebanon, in 1983.

Norman Ornstein is a long-time congressional expert at the American Enterprise Institute. He says the attack on the Benghazi consulate is most like the one that killed 241 American service members in the Lebanon bombing.

“It was a disaster, a human disaster for the Reagan administration, and you didn’t get anywhere near the kind of look over and over again at what happened with the terrible human disaster that killed four Americans at Benghazi.”

Republicans have been accused of using this committee to target Ms. Clinton politically. Republican House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy confirmed that in an interview.

“Everybody thought Hillary Clinton was unbeatable, right? But we put together a Benghazi special committee,” he said. “What are her (poll) numbers today?”

Ms. Clinton accused the committee of being partisan¹⁰ during the Democratic debate earlier this month:

“This committee is basically an arm of the Republican National Committee. It is a partisan vehicle as admitted by the House Republican Majority Leader, Mr. (Kevin) McCarthy, to drive down my poll numbers, big surprise, and that is what they have attempted to do.”

Last week a Republican, who is not on the panel, said that the committee “was designed to go after” Ms. Clinton. And a former staffer said the committee was leading a political investigation. Republicans responded that he was just a disgruntled former employee. 

Outgoing Speaker of the House -- Republican John Boehner -- denied the investigation is politically motivated. He said the committee is “about what happened before, during and after” the attack. He said Americans “deserve the truth about what happened, period.”

Congressman¹¹ Trey Gowdy heads the committee. He told CBS News "Face the Nation" Sunday there was new information in the investigation. He said information in emails from Ambassador Chris Stevens shows that the ambassador repeatedly requested additional security from the State Department.

But Congressional expert Norman Ornstein says this is not an objective investigation. He calls it is “a political hit job.”

“This is an investigation that may have begun with a legitimate¹² goal of looking at Benghazi, and trying to find something that seven previous investigations had not found but it morphed very quickly into an attempt to do what Kevin McCarthy crowed what they had been able to do, which is to drive down Mrs. Clinton’s poll numbers.”

Mr. Ornstein warns that this could backfire against the Republicans. President Bill Clinton’s relationship with a White house intern¹³ led to an attempt to impeach¹⁴ him. But he survived politically. Now,  he is one of Ms. Clinton’s most popular campaigners now.

Words in This Story

probed --v. investigate

consulate -- n. the place or building in which a consul's duties are carried out

irregular -- adj. not even or balanced

motivation -- n. a reason to be eager to act

personnel -- n. staff, workers, employees, people who work together

poll -- n. public opinion surveys

disgruntled -- adj. unhappy

political hit job -- n. attacking someone for political reasons

morphed --v. to changed into something

crowed -- v. express pride

backfires -- v. a backward escape of energy or flames

1 valid   

adj.有确实根据的；有效的；正当的，合法的

参考例句：

• His claim to own the house is valid.他主张对此屋的所有权有效。
• Do you have valid reasons for your absence?你的缺席有正当理由吗？

2 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

3 consulate   

n.领事馆

参考例句：

• The Spanish consulate is the large white building opposite the bank.西班牙领事馆是银行对面的那栋高大的白色建筑物。
• The American consulate was a magnificent edifice in the centre of Bordeaux.美国领事馆是位于波尔多市中心的一座宏伟的大厦。

4 commentators   

n.评论员( commentator的名词复数 )；时事评论员；注释者；实况广播员

参考例句：

• Sports commentators repeat the same phrases ad nauseam. 体育解说员翻来覆去说着同样的词语，真叫人腻烦。
• Television sports commentators repeat the same phrases ad nauseam. 电视体育解说员说来说去就是那么几句话，令人厌烦。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 democrat   

n.民主主义者，民主人士；民主党党员

参考例句：

• The Democrat and the Public criticized each other.民主党人和共和党人互相攻击。
• About two years later,he was defeated by Democrat Jimmy Carter.大约两年后，他被民主党人杰米卡特击败。

6 overt   

adj.公开的，明显的，公然的

参考例句：

• His opponent's intention is quite overt.他的对手的意图很明显。
• We should learn to fight with enemy in an overt and covert way.我们应学会同敌人做公开和隐蔽的斗争。

7 investigations   

（正式的）调查( investigation的名词复数 )； 侦查； 科学研究； 学术研究

参考例句：

• His investigations were intensive and thorough but revealed nothing. 他进行了深入彻底的调查，但没有发现什么。
• He often sent them out to make investigations. 他常常派他们出去作调查。

8 hawk   

n.鹰，骗子；鹰派成员

参考例句：

• The hawk swooped down on the rabbit and killed it.鹰猛地朝兔子扑下来,并把它杀死。
• The hawk snatched the chicken and flew away.老鹰叼了小鸡就飞走了。

9 marine   

adj.海的；海生的；航海的；海事的；n.水兵

参考例句：

• Marine creatures are those which live in the sea. 海洋生物是生存在海里的生物。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

10 partisan   

adj.党派性的；游击队的；n.游击队员；党徒

参考例句：

• In their anger they forget all the partisan quarrels.愤怒之中，他们忘掉一切党派之争。
• The numerous newly created partisan detachments began working slowly towards that region.许多新建的游击队都开始慢慢地向那里移动。

11 Congressman   

n.（美）国会议员

参考例句：

• He related several anecdotes about his first years as a congressman.他讲述自己初任议员那几年的几则轶事。
• The congressman is meditating a reply to his critics.这位国会议员正在考虑给他的批评者一个答复。

12 legitimate   

adj.合法的，合理的，合乎逻辑的；v.使合法

参考例句：

• Sickness is a legitimate reason for asking for leave.生病是请假的一个正当的理由。
• That's a perfectly legitimate fear.怀有这种恐惧完全在情理之中。

13 intern   

v.拘禁，软禁；n.实习生

参考例句：

• I worked as an intern in that firm last summer.去年夏天我在那家商行实习。
• The intern bandaged the cut as the nurse looked on.这位实习生在护士的照看下给病人包扎伤口。

14 impeach   

v.弹劾；检举

参考例句：

• We must impeach the judge for taking bribes.我们一定要检举法官收受贿赂。
• The committee decided to impeach the President.委员会决定弹劾总统。