美国国家公共电台 NPR Senate Intelligence Committee Issues Subpoena For Donald Trump Jr. To Testify Again

 

ARI SHAPIRO, HOST:

The Senate Intelligence Committee has issued a subpoena¹ to the president's son Donald Trump² Jr. This is the first time a member of the Trump family has been subpoenaed³ in the congressional investigations⁵ of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. NPR political reporter Tim Mak is here in the studio. Hi, Tim.

TIM MAK, BYLINE⁶: Hey there.

SHAPIRO: So why is the Senate Intelligence Committee interested in speaking with Donald Trump Jr. now?

MAK: Well, so not only are they interested in speaking with him, they're interested in speaking with him again. This isn't the first time he's been asked to talk to them. He testified in December 2017 before the committee. And at that point, he downplayed his knowledge of any proposed Trump Tower project in Russia.

But what we've learned in the time since is that former Trump confidant Michael Cohen has testified in open session that he repeatedly briefed Trump Jr. on a project in Russia. So they want to bring him back in and see whether there's an explanation for this.

SHAPIRO: So that first testimony⁷ was voluntary. They've now issued a subpoena. But this comes the same week that the top Republican in the Senate, Mitch McConnell, said it is time to move on from the investigation⁴ into Russian interference in the election. So why is this committee, led by Republicans, issuing the subpoena?

MAK: So Mitch McConnell's argument is essentially⁸, hey, the Mueller investigation is over, so we should move on from the issue. But what's interesting is the Senate Intelligence Committee's own investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election they haven't finished. And it's pretty obvious by the fact they're still issuing a subpoena even today.

The committee's chairman, Senator Richard Burr - he said he's not commenting. He's said publicly in the past he hasn't seen evidence of collusion, and he's generally agreed with the president. But his investigation and its final report is still to be finished. And a spokesperson for the committee told NPR that they generally don't discuss subpoenas⁹ or who might be before the committee, but they have generally reserved the right to recall witnesses for additional testimony as they require.

SHAPIRO: What is Donald Trump Jr.'s camp saying about this?

MAK: Nothing. We've reached out for comment, and they haven't responded yet. I'm sure they will in coming days.

SHAPIRO: We have seen the White House fight other subpoenas for other documents and testimony. Do you expect that, ultimately, we will see Donald Trump Jr. testify before this committee?

MAK: I'd be surprised to see it. I think that the Trump White House has indicated that it's going to fight a lot of congressional demands. Now, usually, this has been congressional demands from Democratic-controlled committees on the House side. What makes this so unusual is this is a Republican demand, or at least a demand from a Republican-led committee on the Senate side. They'll probably try to resist this demand, just like they've resisted others.

SHAPIRO: That's NPR political reporter Tim Mak. Thanks so much, Tim.

MAK: Thanks a lot.

1 subpoena   

n.（法律）传票；v.传讯

参考例句：

• He was brought up to court with a subpoena.他接到传讯，来到法庭上。
• Select committees have the power to subpoena witnesses.特别委员会有权传唤证人。

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 subpoenaed   

v.（用传票）传唤（某人）( subpoena的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The court subpoenaed her to appear as a witness. 法庭传唤她出庭作证。
• The finance director is subpoenaed by prosecution. 财务经理被检查机关传讯。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 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。

5 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。

6 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。

7 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。

8 essentially   

adv.本质上，实质上，基本上

参考例句：

• Really great men are essentially modest.真正的伟人大都很谦虚。
• She is an essentially selfish person.她本质上是个自私自利的人。

9 subpoenas   

n.（传唤出庭的）传票( subpoena的名词复数 )v.（用传票）传唤（某人）( subpoena的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• My company has complied with committee subpoenas by supplying documents confirming all that I have said. 本公司按照委员会的要求，提供了能够证实我刚才发言的文件。 来自辞典例句
• Congressional Investigations: Subpoenas and Contempt Power. Report for Congress April 2, 2003. 金灿荣：《美国国会的监督功能》，载《教学与研究》2003年第2期。 来自互联网