The White House is lashing out at Congressional critics of the administration's policy on terrorism. President Barack Obama's top counter-terrorism advisor John Brennan says these critics are playing politics with national security.
美国国会对奥巴马政府的反恐政策提出批评，白宫抨击了这些批评言论。奥巴马总统的首席反恐顾问约翰.布伦南表示，这些批评人士是在国家安全问题上玩弄政治把戏。
"Quite frankly, I am tiring of politicians using national security issues, such as terrorism, as a political football," Brennan said.
他说：“坦白地说，我已经厌倦了政界人士用恐怖主义这类国家安全问题作为政治足球。”
During an appearance on the NBC television program Meet the Press, Brennan said congressional critics and others are speaking before getting the facts. He said they are making charges with no basis in reality, and, in so doing, are endangering the reputation of the men and women trying to keep the country safe.
布伦南在美国国家广播公司“会见新闻界”节目上说，批评国会的人和其他一些人在搞清楚事实前就大发言论。他说，他们没有事实依据便作出指责，这样的做法损害了那些试图维护国家安全的人们的声誉。
"I think they have to have confidence in the knowledge and the experience of these counter-terrorism professionals," he added.
布伦南说：“我认为他们应该对这些反恐专家的知识和经验抱有信心。”
The level of criticism has reached new heights in the weeks following the attempted Christmas Day bombing of a Northwest Airlines jet as it was preparing to land in Detroit, Michigan.
去年圣诞节当天，一名男子试图引爆西北航空公司一架准备在密西根州底特律市降落的客机。在这一事件发生后的几个星期中，对政府反恐政策的批评声浪日渐高涨。
The case of the alleged bomber, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, is being handled in civilian court. That has brought an outcry from Republicans, including the newest member of the U.S. Senate, Scott Brown of Massachusetts.
涉嫌制造爆炸事件的男子阿卜杜勒穆塔拉布正在民事法庭接受审理。这一行动引发了共和党人的强烈不满，其中包括美国参议院的最新成员、麻萨诸塞州的斯科特.布朗。
"And the message we need to send in dealing with terrorists is our tax dollars, our tax dollars should pay for weapons to stop them and not lawyers to defend them," said Brown.
布朗说：“在处理恐怖分子的问题上，我们需要发出的一个信息，那就是纳税人的钱。这些钱应该用于购买武器，阻止他们的行动，而不是用来请律师为他们辩护。”
But Brennan told NBC that all terrorists arrested on U.S. soil are tried in civilian court, whether or not they are American citizens. He stressed the same process was used under the previous administration of President George W. Bush.
但是布伦南对美国全国广播公司说，所有在美国境内被捕的恐怖分子都是在民事法庭受审的，不管他们是不是美国公民。他强调说，美国前总统布什的政府采用的也是同样的程序。
"So the procedures and protocols were exactly consistent with what we have done before," Brennan noted.
他说：“所以这些程序和规章制度都是和我们以前的做法完全一致的。”
During the interview, Brennan was also asked about the threat posed by hackers seeking to infiltrate computer networks.
在采访中，布伦南还被问及寻求渗透计算机网络的黑客所构成的威胁。
He called the threat serious and significant.
他说，这样的威胁是严重和显著的。
"National security is something that is at risk. And that is why what we are trying to do is ensure that our networks - our government networks, our private sector networks - have the ability to withstand these attempts to hack in and to conduct activities," he explained.
他说：“国家安全处于威胁中。这也是为什么我们试图确保我们的网络--我们的政府网络、私营部门网络有能力承受这些黑客袭击并正常运转。”
In recent days, there have been reports that the Internet search company Google has turned to the U.S. intelligence community to help track down threats to its operations in China. The White House will only say that companies facing cyber-security threats should deal with the proper authorities. |