美国国家公共电台 NPR Kuwait Celebration At Trump Hotel Raises Conflict Of Interest Questions

 

SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

It's National Day in Kuwait. The annual holiday commemorates¹ the Gulf² state's independence from British rule in 1961. For years, the Kuwaiti embassy in Washington, D.C. has been holding a gala celebration to mark National Day. But this year, the venue³ is creating some controversy⁴. NPR's Jackie Northam reports.

JACKIE NORTHAM, BYLINE⁵: For more than a decade, Kuwait's envoy⁶ to the U.S., Ambassador Salem al-Sabah, hosted the National Day events at the Four Seasons Hotel in Washington. But Sabah says he felt his guests wanted a change, so he looked into the newly opened Trump⁷ International Hotel.

SALEM AL-SABAH: It's like a new restaurant opens in your neighborhood and you want to try it, and you hear good reviews about it. And you go and you see it. And we found that it's a great venue for our National Day reception.

NORTHAM: So the Kuwaiti embassy canceled the reservation with the Four Seasons and booked with the Trump Hotel, just a few short blocks from the White House, for their 600 guests. Sabah says he has taken heat for that decision, including suggestions Kuwait is trying to curry⁸ favor with the new U.S. president.

SABAH: That is honestly absurd. If people think that for us to rent a ballroom⁹ for two hours in a hotel is going to swing open the doors to the White House for us, it's an absurd line of thinking.

NORTHAM: Sabah says people should look at what Kuwait is doing for the U.S. rather than the other way around. And Kuwait has been an ally.

RYAN CROCKER: They are the linchpin in our Gulf security strategy.

NORTHAM: Ryan Crocker is a former career ambassador, which included a posting to Kuwait during the early '90s. He says the U.S. and Kuwait have enjoyed very close ties for years.

CROCKER: There are thousands of U.S. forces in that country. We operate on two Kuwaiti air bases. And the headquarters for the entire anti-Islamic State campaign is in Kuwait.

NORTHAM: Crocker says the problem isn't Kuwait. It's that President Trump has properties all over the world with his name on it. And any time a foreign government holds a reception or rents rooms at a Trump hotel, it opens up speculation¹⁰ about conflicts of interest. Norm Eisen, an ethics¹¹ expert, says Trump is also violating the Constitution, which says a president cannot accept gifts or benefits from a foreign country.

NORM EISEN: That's what the framers put in the Constitution in the emoluments¹² clause because they were so worried about swag, any kind of swag, coming to an American president, just for the reasons that it would distort presidential decision-making to benefit himself.

NORTHAM: Trump's attorney, Sheri Dillon, said last month the president has a way around that.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

SHERI DILLON: He is going to voluntarily donate all profits from foreign government payments made to his hotels to the United States Treasury¹³.

NORTHAM: NPR sent requests to the White House and the Trump Organization asking how they plan to account for the profits from events involving foreign governments and how donations to the U.S. Treasury will be documented. Requests for clarification were not returned.

Jackie Northam, NPR News, Washington.

1 commemorates   

n.纪念，庆祝( commemorate的名词复数 )v.纪念，庆祝( commemorate的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• A tombstone is erected in memory of whoever it commemorates. 墓碑是为纪念它所纪念的人而建的。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• A tablet commemorates his patriotic activities. 碑文铭记他的爱国行动。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

2 gulf   

n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂

参考例句：

• The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
• There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。

3 venue   

n.犯罪地点，审判地，管辖地，发生地点，集合地点

参考例句：

• The hall provided a venue for weddings and other functions.大厅给婚礼和其他社会活动提供了场所。
• The chosen venue caused great controversy among the people.人们就审判地点的问题产生了极大的争议。

4 controversy   

n.争论，辩论，争吵

参考例句：

• That is a fact beyond controversy.那是一个无可争论的事实。
• We ran the risk of becoming the butt of every controversy.我们要冒使自己在所有的纷争中都成为众矢之的的风险。

5 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

6 envoy   

n.使节，使者，代表，公使

参考例句：

• Their envoy showed no sign of responding to our proposals.他们的代表对我方的提议毫无回应的迹象。
• The government has not yet appointed an envoy to the area.政府尚未向这一地区派过外交官。

7 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

8 curry   

n.咖哩粉，咖哩饭菜；v.用咖哩粉调味，用马栉梳，制革

参考例句：

• Rice makes an excellent complement to a curry dish.有咖喱的菜配米饭最棒。
• Add a teaspoonful of curry powder.加一茶匙咖喱粉。

9 ballroom   

n.舞厅

参考例句：

• The boss of the ballroom excused them the fee.舞厅老板给他们免费。
• I go ballroom dancing twice a week.我一个星期跳两次交际舞。

10 speculation   

n.思索，沉思；猜测；投机

参考例句：

• Her mind is occupied with speculation.她的头脑忙于思考。
• There is widespread speculation that he is going to resign.人们普遍推测他要辞职。

11 ethics   

n.伦理学；伦理观，道德标准

参考例句：

• The ethics of his profession don't permit him to do that.他的职业道德不允许他那样做。
• Personal ethics and professional ethics sometimes conflict.个人道德和职业道德有时会相互抵触。

12 emoluments   

n.报酬，薪水( emolument的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The emoluments of this profession is not satisfactory. 此行业的报酬不令人满意。 来自辞典例句
• Emoluments connected with this position include free education for the children. 与这职务有关的酬劳包括为子女提供免费教育。 来自互联网

13 treasury   

n.宝库；国库，金库；文库

参考例句：

• The Treasury was opposed in principle to the proposals.财政部原则上反对这些提案。
• This book is a treasury of useful information.这本书是有价值的信息宝库。