美国国家公共电台 NPR Trump Under Oath: Sometimes Combative, Often Boastful, Usually Lacking Details

 

NOEL KING, HOST:

President Trump¹ has said that he wants to testify in special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation². He may also have to testify in two pending³ lawsuits⁵. Trump has a long history of suing and being sued. And as a result, he's been under oath before as part of depositions⁷. NPR's Tamara Keith has the story of what we can learn from the president's past experience under oath.

TAMARA KEITH, BYLINE⁸: In June 2016, then-candidate Donald Trump sat for a videotaped deposition⁶.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

DEBBIE WHITEHEAD: Can you raise your right hand?

PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Yes.

KEITH: Trump had sued for breach⁹ of contract after celebrity¹⁰ chef Geoffrey Zakarian pulled out of plans to open a restaurant in Trump's Washington, D.C., hotel.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

WHITEHEAD: Do you swear the testimony¹¹ you're about to give will be the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth?

TRUMP: I do.

KEITH: The questioning was led by lawyer Deborah Baum.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

DEBORAH BAUM: Would you state your full name for the record, please?

TRUMP: Donald John Trump.

BAUM: And I imagine you've had your deposition taken a number of times.

TRUMP: I have, yes.

BAUM: So you know the drill.

TRUMP: I do.

BAUM: And I won't waste...

KEITH: Trump was more subdued¹² than he is in public but no less braggadocious, to borrow a word from the president.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

BAUM: Why do you think they wanted to get out of the lease?

REBECCA WOODS: Objection.

TRUMP: I don't...

WOODS: Sorry. Objection. Foundation.

TRUMP: I don't understand why they did this. I'm running for office. I obviously have credibility because I now, as it turns out, became the Republican nominee¹³ running against - we have a total of 17 people that were mostly senators and governors, highly respected people.

KEITH: Lawyers who represented Trump in this and other suits either didn't respond or declined to comment for this story. In deposition transcripts¹⁴ over the years, Trump comes across as uninterested in details, unfamiliar¹⁵ with legal documents and occasionally impatient. One theme that emerges is preparation. Baum, in the 2016 session, asked Trump what he did to prepare.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

BAUM: ...For the deposition.

TRUMP: I would say virtually nothing. I spoke¹⁶ with my counsel for a short period of time. I just arrived here, and we proceeded to the deposition.

BAUM: Thank you. So you didn't look at any documents or...

TRUMP: No, I didn't.

KEITH: That sounds familiar to Tim O'Brien, who wrote "TrumpNation: The Art Of Being The Donald."

TIM O'BRIEN: Oh, no, no, no, no, no, he did not prepare.

KEITH: O'Brien is talking about the two days of deposition Trump sat for in 2007. O'Brien was the defendant¹⁷ in that lawsuit⁴.

O'BRIEN: I have deep, firsthand, in-the-trench experience with depositions with the president of the United States.

KEITH: Trump sued him because he said his book undersold his real net worth. The video of that deposition was never released. O'Brien says Trump's past experience under oath provides a cautionary tale for the president and his lawyers.

O'BRIEN: You don't even have to lay a trap if you're asking about a factual circumstance which - with documents to back it up and the individual at hand - in this case, Donald Trump - isn't familiar enough with the fact pattern and has a propensity¹⁸ to exaggerate in the best cases and misrepresent or lie in the worst ones.

KEITH: Take the 2016 deposition. Trump found himself walking back testimony when confronted with documents. When asked about negotiation¹⁹ of the restaurant lease at the heart of the suit, Trump claimed ignorance, saying his adult children handled the details and just told him when the deal was done.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

TRUMP: They had said, we just signed the lease; we have a deal with Zakarian.

BAUM: OK. So they said, we just signed a lease, and we have a deal?

TRUMP: Don did. He told me when they signed the lease. I don't know when that was.

KEITH: But then, a few minutes later, Baum pulled out a copy of the lease.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

BAUM: So this is Exhibit 25. If you look at - my understanding - the reason I was puzzled by your answer earlier about your son telling you the lease had been signed - my understanding is that you signed this lease. And if you look at page...

TRUMP: That's - well, that's true.

BAUM: OK.

TRUMP: He asked me, yeah.

BAUM: OK.

TRUMP: Yeah, well, I didn't - I believe I signed the lease.

KEITH: Presented with his own signature, Trump had to admit that he had seen the lease.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

TRUMP: Yeah, that's my signature. Yes.

KEITH: Trump ultimately settled with Zakarian for undisclosed terms. And his suit against O'Brien was thrown out. As for Mueller, Trump says he wants to talk to him.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Mr. President?

TRUMP: There's been no collusion whatsoever²⁰. There's no obstruction²¹ whatsoever. And I'm looking forward to it.

KEITH: If an interview does happen, the stakes will be significantly higher than those lawsuits. Tamara Keith, NPR News, the White House.

(SOUNDBITE OF ANENON'S "VERSO")

1 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。

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 pending   

prep.直到，等待…期间；adj.待定的；迫近的

参考例句：

• The lawsuit is still pending in the state court.这案子仍在州法庭等待定夺。
• He knew my examination was pending.他知道我就要考试了。

4 lawsuit   

n.诉讼，控诉

参考例句：

• They threatened him with a lawsuit.他们以诉讼威逼他。
• He was perpetually involving himself in this long lawsuit.他使自己无休止地卷入这场长时间的诉讼。

5 lawsuits   

n.诉讼( lawsuit的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Lawsuits involving property rights and farming and grazing rights increased markedly. 涉及财产权，耕作与放牧权的诉讼案件显著地增加。 来自辞典例句
• I've lost and won more lawsuits than any man in England. 全英国的人算我官司打得最多，赢的也多，输的也多。 来自辞典例句

6 deposition   

n.免职，罢官；作证；沉淀；沉淀物

参考例句：

• It was this issue which led to the deposition of the king.正是这件事导致了国王被废黜。
• This leads to calcium deposition in the blood-vessels.这导致钙在血管中沉积。

7 depositions   

沉积（物）( deposition的名词复数 )； （在法庭上的）宣誓作证； 处置； 罢免

参考例句：

• The safety problems are more severe for low-pressure depositions because the processes often use concentrated gases. 对于低压淀积来说安全性问题更为突出，因为这种工艺通常使用高浓度的气体。
• The chief method is to take depositions of parties and witnesses. 主要的方法是录取当事人和证人的宣誓证言。 来自口语例句

8 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。

9 breach   

n.违反，不履行；破裂；vt.冲破，攻破

参考例句：

• We won't have any breach of discipline.我们不允许任何破坏纪律的现象。
• He was sued for breach of contract.他因不履行合同而被起诉。

10 celebrity   

n.名人，名流；著名，名声，名望

参考例句：

• Tom found himself something of a celebrity. 汤姆意识到自己已小有名气了。
• He haunted famous men, hoping to get celebrity for himself. 他常和名人在一起, 希望借此使自己获得名气。

11 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。

12 subdued   

adj. 屈服的，柔和的，减弱的 动词subdue的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He seemed a bit subdued to me. 我觉得他当时有点闷闷不乐。
• I felt strangely subdued when it was all over. 一切都结束的时候，我却有一种奇怪的压抑感。

13 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。

14 transcripts   

n.抄本（ transcript的名词复数 ）；转写本；文字本；副本

参考例句：

• Like mRNA, both tRNA and rRNA are transcripts of chromosomal DNA. tRNA及rRNA同mRNA一样，都是染色体DNA的转录产物。 来自辞典例句
• You can't take the transfer students'exam without your transcripts. 没有成绩证明书，你就不能参加转学考试。 来自辞典例句

15 unfamiliar   

adj.陌生的，不熟悉的

参考例句：

• I am unfamiliar with the place and the people here.我在这儿人地生疏。
• The man seemed unfamiliar to me.这人很面生。

16 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

17 defendant   

n.被告；adj.处于被告地位的

参考例句：

• The judge rejected a bribe from the defendant's family.法官拒收被告家属的贿赂。
• The defendant was borne down by the weight of evidence.有力的证据使被告认输了。

18 propensity   

n.倾向；习性

参考例句：

• He has a propensity for drinking too much alcohol.他有酗酒的倾向。
• She hasn't reckoned on his propensity for violence.她不曾料到他有暴力倾向。

19 negotiation   

n.谈判，协商

参考例句：

• They closed the deal in sugar after a week of negotiation.经过一星期的谈判，他们的食糖生意成交了。
• The negotiation dragged on until July.谈判一直拖到7月份。

20 whatsoever   

adv.（用于否定句中以加强语气）任何；pron.无论什么

参考例句：

• There's no reason whatsoever to turn down this suggestion.没有任何理由拒绝这个建议。
• All things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you,do ye even so to them.你想别人对你怎样，你就怎样对人。

21 obstruction   

n.阻塞，堵塞；障碍物

参考例句：

• She was charged with obstruction of a police officer in the execution of his duty.她被指控妨碍警察执行任务。
• The road was cleared from obstruction.那条路已被清除了障碍。