美国国家公共电台 NPR Hearing For Deputy Attorney General Nominee Focuses On Sessions, Russia

 

ROBERT SIEGEL, HOST:

A congressional hearing to fill top posts at the Justice Department today turned into a proxy¹ war over the Trump² administration's ties to Russia. Democrats⁴ pressed the nominee⁵ for deputy attorney general to appoint an independent prosecutor⁶. They got no such commitment, as NPR justice correspondent Carrie Johnson reports.

CARRIE JOHNSON, BYLINE⁷: Twenty-seven-year Justice Department veteran Rod Rosenstein could soon become the ultimate decider on the most politically sensitive subject in Washington. That's because Attorney General Jeff Sessions recused himself from any investigation⁸ into the Trump campaign and Russian officials, leaving the tough questions for his deputy, Rosenstein, if the Senate confirms him.

Rosenstein's three-hour hearing focused less on the record of the career prosecutor and more on his superiors. Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut pointed⁹ out the attorney general could end up a witness in any investigation involving Russia.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

RICHARD BLUMENTHAL: How can you investigate your boss?

JOHNSON: Blumenthal and other Democrats say there's only one way to guarantee public confidence in the Russia investigation - by naming an independent prosecutor to lead it. But Rosenstein refused to make that commitment. Instead, he said he doesn't have all the facts, but he does have a long history in cases involving public corruption¹⁰ and national security.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

ROD ROSENSTEIN: Senator, I don't know the details of what, if any, investigation is ongoing¹¹. But I can certainly assure you; if it's America against Russia or America against any other country, I think everyone in this room knows which side I'm on.

JOHNSON: In a surprising turn, members of the Senate Judiciary Committee spent a while clashing with each other over the questioning of Attorney General Sessions in January. On Monday, Sessions clarified his testimony¹² in writing after The Washington Post reported he gave a misleading answer to Minnesota Senator Al Franken. The three-page letter was not enough for Franken.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

ALAN FRANKEN: I think Senator Sessions should come back. I think he owes it to this committee to come back and to explain himself.

JOHNSON: That prompted the top Republican on the committee, Chairman Charles Grassley, to jump in and defend Sessions.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

CHARLES GRASSLEY: And I consider what Senator Franken asked Sessions at that late moment that the story just come out as a gotcha question. And...

FRANKEN: It was not a gotcha question, sir.

GRASSLEY: It was. From the standpoint...

FRANKEN: I...

GRASSLEY: ...That he didn't know what you were asking about.

JOHNSON: Later in the hearing, Franken said he couldn't have been nicer to the attorney general. Franken said Sessions had gotten himself into trouble by not mentioning he had two contacts with the Russian ambassador last year.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

FRANKEN: It can't be a gotcha question if he didn't answer the question. So the thing that got him was him saying that he had not met with Russians. But that wasn't even my question.

JOHNSON: Senator Dianne Feinstein, a Democrat³ from California, says she's worried about press reports suggesting the White House has been trying to interfere¹³ in ongoing investigations¹⁴ and court cases.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

DIANNE FEINSTEIN: We need steel spines¹⁵, not weak knees when it comes to political independence in the Department of Justice.

JOHNSON: Rosenstein attested¹⁶ to his independence but declined invitations from Democrats to criticize the president's tweets. Last weekend, Trump claimed without evidence that President Obama had tapped his phones at Trump Tower. Rosenstein said he didn't know anything about the matter but said the president has First Amendment¹⁷ rights just like anyone else. Rosenstein also pledged to enforce rules that limit contacts between the White House and people inside the department on law enforcement cases. Carrie Johnson, NPR News, Washington.

1 proxy   

n.代理权，代表权；（对代理人的）委托书；代理人

参考例句：

• You may appoint a proxy to vote for you.你可以委托他人代你投票。
• We enclose a form of proxy for use at the Annual General Meeting.我们附上委任年度大会代表的表格。

2 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。

3 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。

4 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 nominee   

n.被提名者；被任命者；被推荐者

参考例句：

• His nominee for vice president was elected only after a second ballot.他提名的副总统在两轮投票后才当选。
• Mr.Francisco is standing as the official nominee for the post of District Secretary.弗朗西斯科先生是行政书记职位的正式提名人。

6 prosecutor   

n.起诉人；检察官，公诉人

参考例句：

• The defender argued down the prosecutor at the court.辩护人在法庭上驳倒了起诉人。
• The prosecutor would tear your testimony to pieces.检查官会把你的证言驳得体无完肤。

7 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。

8 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。

9 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。

10 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。

11 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

12 testimony   

n.证词；见证，证明

参考例句：

• The testimony given by him is dubious.他所作的证据是可疑的。
• He was called in to bear testimony to what the police officer said.他被传入为警官所说的话作证。

13 interfere   

v.(in)干涉，干预；(with)妨碍，打扰

参考例句：

• If we interfere, it may do more harm than good.如果我们干预的话，可能弊多利少。
• When others interfere in the affair,it always makes troubles. 别人一卷入这一事件，棘手的事情就来了。

14 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。

15 spines   

n.脊柱( spine的名词复数 )；脊椎；（动植物的）刺；书脊

参考例句：

• Porcupines use their spines to protect themselves. 豪猪用身上的刺毛来自卫。
• The cactus has spines. 仙人掌有刺。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

16 attested   

adj.经检验证明无病的，经检验证明无菌的v.证明( attest的过去式和过去分词 )；证实；声称…属实；使宣誓

参考例句：

• The handwriting expert attested to the genuineness of the signature. 笔迹专家作证该签名无讹。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• Witnesses attested his account. 几名证人都证实了他的陈述是真实的。 来自《简明英汉词典》

17 amendment   

n.改正，修正，改善，修正案

参考例句：

• The amendment was rejected by 207 voters to 143.这项修正案以207票对143票被否决。
• The Opposition has tabled an amendment to the bill.反对党已经就该议案提交了一项修正条款。