美国国家公共电台 NPR Republican Lawmakers Say Mueller Needs No Protection

 

AILSA CHANG, HOST:

Congressional Republicans are making it clear they will not take any steps to protect special counsel Robert Mueller from getting fired. Here's Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.

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MITCH MCCONNELL: Yeah. I just don't think it's necessary. I don't think Bob Mueller is going anywhere.

CHANG: Some lawmakers would like to include legislation to protect Mueller into a must-pass spending bill coming up this week. But Republicans say that is off the table. NPR congressional correspondent Susan Davis joins us now to talk about all this. Hey, Sue.

SUSAN DAVIS, BYLINE¹: Hey, Ailsa.

CHANG: So all right. Most Republicans say they support Mueller's Russia investigation², so what's the resistance to passing legislation to protect the investigation from White House interference?

DAVIS: We hear a pretty familiar posture³ from congressional Republicans who say they're just not that worried about the things that the president tweets, specifically his criticisms of Mueller over the weekend. This is what House Speaker Paul Ryan had to say today to reporters.

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PAUL RYAN: The special counsel should be free to follow through his investigation to its completion without interference. Absolutely. I am confident that he'll be able to do that. I've received assurances that his firing is not even under consideration. We have a system based upon the rule of law in this country. We have a justice system. And no one is above that justice system.

DAVIS: So the speaker echoed Mitch McConnell's confidence, although I should note he did not tell us who gave him these assurances. But White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders today from the White House podium said the president does not have any plans to fire Robert Mueller.

CHANG: Why are Republicans so confident about this? Because just this past weekend, the president stepped up his attacks on the Russia probe, on Mueller himself.

DAVIS: You know, they do brush off the president's tweets on a fairly regular basis up here. I do think the one thing I have heard repeatedly from Republicans is that they think that the White House does understand that the political consequences for President Trump⁴ would be severe. Senator Lindsey Graham - he's a Republican from South Carolina. He was on Hugh Hewitt's radio show this morning. And he said if the president were to try and fire Mueller without cause, he would consider that, in his words, an impeachable⁵ offense⁶. Here's what he told Hugh Hewitt.

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LINDSEY GRAHAM: I can't think of a more upsetting moment in the rule of law to have a investigator⁷ looking at a president's campaign as to whether or not they colluded with a foreign government, what kind of crimes they may have committed. I've seen no evidence of collusion, but to stop the investigation without cause - I think it would be a constitutional crisis.

DAVIS: Graham is not alone in thinking about how severe that would be. Other top Republicans in recent days - people like House oversight⁸ Chairman Trey Gowdy, Senate foreign relations Chairman Bob Corker and Senate finance Chairman Orrin Hatch have all publicly warned the president to cool it when it comes to Mueller. Orrin Hatch said it would be, in his words, the stupidest thing the president could do - to fire Mueller. One word of caution here - not all Republicans feel this way. Jeff Flake⁹, Republican from Arizona, said, look; you know, the president also gave assurances about not firing Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. And then he did it and gave Congress very little warning.

CHANG: Yeah. So Republicans are not willing to include any Mueller protections in this must-pass spending bill. How hard are Democrats¹⁰ going to fight that?

DAVIS: It's not that hard right now politically. You know, they're going to say they tried to do it, and Republicans blocked them. And that might be a good enough political win for Democrats at this moment. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer did give Mitch McConnell credit for saying that he backs Mueller's investigation and thinks he'll be fine. There are just a lot more pressing policy issues under debate right now before they can unveil what is going to be a $1.3 trillion spending bill for the rest of the year. They're trying to work out details on things affecting health care, potentially on guns and on border security. So we're eagerly awaiting that bill to figure out...

CHANG: Yeah.

DAVIS: ...When Congress is going to vote.

CHANG: Well, government funding runs out on Friday, and they're still not done negotiating. So here we are again.

DAVIS: (Laughter).

CHANG: Your favorite question, Sue - what are the chances of a government shutdown this week?

DAVIS: It doesn't seem like a real threat at this point. If anything, they may have to work into the weekend to make sure they can pass it before their planned two-week Easter recess¹¹.

CHANG: That's NPR's Susan Davis. Thanks, Sue.

DAVIS: You're welcome.

1 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。

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 posture   

n.姿势，姿态，心态，态度；v.作出某种姿势

参考例句：

• The government adopted an uncompromising posture on the issue of independence.政府在独立这一问题上采取了毫不妥协的态度。
• He tore off his coat and assumed a fighting posture.他脱掉上衣，摆出一副打架的架势。

4 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。

5 impeachable   

adj.可控告的，可弹劾的

参考例句：

• Thus, Congress cannot remove an executive official except for impeachable offenses. 因此，除非有可弹劾的行为，否则国会不能罢免行政官员。 来自英汉非文学 - 行政法
• The government officer committed an impeachable offence. 那位政府官员犯了可能招致弹劾的罪行。 来自辞典例句

6 offense   

n.犯规，违法行为；冒犯，得罪

参考例句：

• I hope you will not take any offense at my words. 对我讲的话请别见怪。
• His words gave great offense to everybody present.他的发言冲犯了在场的所有人。

7 investigator   

n.研究者，调查者，审查者

参考例句：

• He was a special investigator for the FBI.他是联邦调查局的特别调查员。
• The investigator was able to deduce the crime and find the criminal.调查者能够推出犯罪过程并锁定罪犯。

8 oversight   

n.勘漏，失察，疏忽

参考例句：

• I consider this a gross oversight on your part.我把这件事看作是你的一大疏忽。
• Your essay was not marked through an oversight on my part.由于我的疏忽你的文章没有打分。

9 flake   

v.使成薄片；雪片般落下；n.薄片

参考例句：

• Drain the salmon,discard the skin,crush the bones and flake the salmon with a fork.将鲑鱼沥干，去表皮，粉碎鱼骨并用餐叉子将鱼肉切成小薄片状。
• The paint's beginning to flake.油漆开始剥落了。

10 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》

11 recess   

n.短期休息，壁凹（墙上装架子，柜子等凹处）

参考例句：

• The chairman of the meeting announced a ten-minute recess.会议主席宣布休会10分钟。
• Parliament was hastily recalled from recess.休会的议员被匆匆召回开会。