美国国家公共电台 NPR As Impeachment Trial Looms, Sen. Susan Collins Faces Scrutiny In Congress And At Home

 

NOEL KING, HOST:

This crisis in Iran is unfolding as we get ready in this country for a Senate impeachment² trial. Republican leaders have promised to shape that trial in coordination⁴ with the defendant⁵, which is, of course, President Trump⁶. But because the Senate is closely divided, the defection of just a few Republicans could really matter. One of them is Susan Collins of Maine, who's seeking reelection in a very divided state. Maine Public Radio's Steve Mistler has this story.

STEVE MISTLER, BYLINE⁷: Collins announced her reelection the same day the House of Representatives voted to impeach¹ Trump. It was curious timing⁸ given that her vote to either convict or acquit⁹ the president could affect her chances of winning a fifth term. Collins has generally said little about impeachment, citing her role as a juror, a position her Democratic challengers say is a cop-out. Now Trump's opponents want her to use her leverage¹⁰ to ensure a fair and thorough trial.

(SOUNDBITE OF POLITICAL AD)

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: Key witnesses in the Ukraine scandal must testify in the Senate impeachment trial. These witnesses include Rudy Giuliani...

CHRIS CUOMO: So you did ask Ukraine to look into Joe Biden.

RUDY GIULIANI: Of course I did.

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: ...Mick Mulvaney...

JONATHAN KARL: What you just described is a quid pro³ quo.

MISTLER: That ad is from a group called the Republicans for the Rule of Law. It's part of a pressure campaign to get Collins to push for witnesses that the White House has so far blocked. Just four Republican senators could force McConnell to call those witnesses.

Collins' political brand is tied to being a centrist, and she's viewed as possibly persuadable. But Collins has stayed quiet on what she'll do. She says there should be bipartisan agreement on how the trial goes, just as there was during Bill Clinton's impeachment in 1999 - although Collins also acknowledges that sort of agreement is unlikely now.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

SUSAN COLLINS: Hundred to zero - I can't imagine anything like that happening today, regrettably.

MISTLER: Echoing recent criticism from her friend and close ally, Alaska Republican Lisa Murkowski, Collins says it's inappropriate for McConnell to coordinate¹¹ with the White House but that Democrats¹² have also rushed to their corner.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

COLLINS: There are senators on both sides of the aisle¹³ who, to me, are not giving the appearance of and the reality of judging this in an impartial¹⁴ way.

MISTLER: Like Murkowski, Collins says Democrats should not have held a hasty impeachment vote in the House. She says they should be asking the courts to compel Trump aides to testify and says House Speaker Nancy Pelosi should transmit the articles of impeachment to the Senate instead of holding on to them for now.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

COLLINS: So that seems an odd way to operate.

MISTLER: Unlike many Senate Republicans, Collins says she's open to witnesses in the Senate trial but also that it's too early to say which ones. And she stopped short of saying she'll publicly force the issue, as she did during the run-up to the Clinton impeachment trial.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

COLLINS: I need more evidence. I need witnesses and further evidence to guide me to the right destination, to get to the truth.

MISTLER: The president's supporters are also keeping a close eye on Collins, who declared in 2016 that Trump was unfit for office. If she breaks ranks on impeachment, Collins could draw a primary challenge. Trump is also paying attention. Last week, he retweeted an endorsement¹⁵ of Collins' reelection bid to his 68 million followers¹⁶.

For NPR News, I'm Steve Mistler in Portland, Maine.

(SOUNDBITE OF BLOCKHEAD'S "LET THEM EAT HATE")

1 impeach   

v.弹劾；检举

参考例句：

• We must impeach the judge for taking bribes.我们一定要检举法官收受贿赂。
• The committee decided to impeach the President.委员会决定弹劾总统。

2 impeachment   

n.弹劾；控告；怀疑

参考例句：

• Impeachment is considered a drastic measure in the United States.在美国，弹劾被视为一种非常激烈的措施。
• The verdict resulting from his impeachment destroyed his political career.他遭弹劾后得到的判决毁了他的政治生涯。

3 pro   

n.赞成，赞成的意见，赞成者

参考例句：

• The two debating teams argued the question pro and con.辩论的两组从赞成与反对两方面辩这一问题。
• Are you pro or con nuclear disarmament?你是赞成还是反对核裁军？

4 coordination   

n.协调，协作

参考例句：

• Gymnastics is a sport that requires a considerable level of coordination.体操是一项需要高协调性的运动。
• The perfect coordination of the dancers and singers added a rhythmic charm to the performance.舞蹈演员和歌手们配合得很好，使演出更具魅力。

5 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。

6 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。

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 timing   

n.时间安排，时间选择

参考例句：

• The timing of the meeting is not convenient.会议的时间安排不合适。
• The timing of our statement is very opportune.我们发表声明选择的时机很恰当。

9 acquit   

vt.宣判无罪；(oneself)使(自己)表现出

参考例句：

• That fact decided the judge to acquit him.那个事实使法官判他无罪。
• They always acquit themselves of their duty very well.他们总是很好地履行自己的职责。

10 leverage   

n.力量，影响；杠杆作用，杠杆的力量

参考例句：

• We'll have to use leverage to move this huge rock.我们不得不借助杠杆之力来移动这块巨石。
• He failed in the project because he could gain no leverage. 因为他没有影响力，他的计划失败了。

11 coordinate   

adj.同等的，协调的；n.同等者；vt.协作，协调

参考例句：

• You must coordinate what you said with what you did.你必须使你的言行一致。
• Maybe we can coordinate the relation of them.或许我们可以调和他们之间的关系。

12 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》

13 aisle   

n.（教堂、教室、戏院等里的）过道，通道

参考例句：

• The aisle was crammed with people.过道上挤满了人。
• The girl ushered me along the aisle to my seat.引座小姐带领我沿着通道到我的座位上去。

14 impartial   

adj.(in,to)公正的，无偏见的

参考例句：

• He gave an impartial view of the state of affairs in Ireland.他对爱尔兰的事态发表了公正的看法。
• Careers officers offer impartial advice to all pupils.就业指导员向所有学生提供公正无私的建议。

15 endorsement   

n.背书；赞成，认可，担保；签(注)，批注

参考例句：

• We are happy to give the product our full endorsement.我们很高兴给予该产品完全的认可。
• His presidential campaign won endorsement from several celebrities.他参加总统竞选得到一些社会名流的支持。

16 followers   

追随者( follower的名词复数 )； 用户； 契据的附面； 从动件

参考例句：

• the followers of Mahatma Gandhi 圣雄甘地的拥护者
• The reformer soon gathered a band of followers round him. 改革者很快就获得一群追随者支持他。