2007年VOA标准英语-Congressional Democrats Subpoena Top Bush Aide

By Paula Wolfson
White House
26 July 2007

Congressional Democrats¹ are stepping up pressure on the White House as they investigate charges the Bush administration has been using the Justice Department as a political tool.  VOA White House correspondent Paula Wolfson reports they have issued a subpoena² for a top presidential aide, and are calling for an independent investigation³ of Attorney General Alberto Gonzales.

White House Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove waves upon his return to the White House in Washington, 24 July 2007

Perhaps no one at the White House is closer to President Bush than his long-time political adviser⁴ Karl Rove.

On Thursday, the Senate Judiciary Committee issued subpoenas⁵ for Rove and another White House aide, Scott Jennings. 

Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy of Vermont made the announcement on the Senate floor:

"There is a cloud over this White House and a gathering⁶ storm," he said.

The subpoenas stem from an investigation into whether nine federal prosecutors⁸ were fired by the Justice Department for purely⁹ political reasons.

Leahy said the prosecutors resisted attempts to influence political corruption¹⁰ cases to benefit Republican candidates.  He rejected White House arguments that they were sacked simply because their legal performance was not good enough.

"The evidence shows that senior officials were apparently¹¹ focused on the political impact of federal prosecutions¹² and whether federal prosecutors were doing enough to bring partisan¹³ voter fraud and corruption cases," he added.

President Bush has already refused to permit testimony¹⁴ on the matter from other former and present White House officials.  Mr. Bush has told Congress that he has the right to withhold¹⁵ public testimony by those who offer him private advice.

Attorney General Alberto Gonzales testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington before the Senate Judiciary Committee, 24 July 2007

The president has also stressed that he stands behind Attorney General Alberto Gonzales.  But the chorus of complaints about Gonzales is growing louder by the day.  Shortly before the latest subpoenas were issued, four Democrats on the Justice Committee called for an independent investigation into allegations that Gonzales knowingly and willingly lied under oath in congressional testimony.

Senator Charles Schumer of New York said the attorney general has engaged in a pattern of lies.

"The attorney general took an oath to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.  Instead, he tells the half-truth, the partial truth and everything but the truth," he said.

The formal request for a special prosecutor⁷ to investigate allegations of perjury¹⁶ came in a letter to the U.S. government's top lawyer, Solicitor¹⁷ General Paul Clement¹⁸.

At a Capitol Hill news conference, Senator Schumer was asked if any Republicans support the request. He replied that he had talked to Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania, the top Republican on the Justice Committee, and a critic of the attorney general but he gave no details of the conversation.

A short time later, Specter said an independent investigation is not warranted and he questioned Schumer's intentions.

"Senator Schumer is not interested in looking at the record," said Mr. Specter.  "He is interested in throwing down the gauntlet and making stories in tomorrow's newspapers."

Specter said he still hopes a compromise can be worked out with the White House so that Congress can find out if indeed the administration has sought to politicize the Justice Department.

In addition to hiring and firing practices, lawmakers are also looking into a controversial domestic surveillance program and whether the White House took action to mislead Congress and to silence opposition¹⁹ within the Justice Department.

1 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》

2 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。

3 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。

4 adviser   

n.劝告者，顾问

参考例句：

• They employed me as an adviser.他们聘请我当顾问。
• Our department has engaged a foreign teacher as phonetic adviser.我们系已经聘请了一位外籍老师作为语音顾问。

5 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

6 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。

7 prosecutor   

n.起诉人；检察官，公诉人

参考例句：

• The defender argued down the prosecutor at the court.辩护人在法庭上驳倒了起诉人。
• The prosecutor would tear your testimony to pieces.检查官会把你的证言驳得体无完肤。

8 prosecutors   

检举人( prosecutor的名词复数 )； 告发人； 起诉人； 公诉人

参考例句：

• In some places,public prosecutors are elected rather than appointed. 在有些地方，检察官是经选举而非任命产生的。 来自口语例句
• You've been summoned to the Prosecutors' Office, 2 days later. 你在两天以后被宣到了检察官的办公室。

9 purely   

adv.纯粹地，完全地

参考例句：

• I helped him purely and simply out of friendship.我帮他纯粹是出于友情。
• This disproves the theory that children are purely imitative.这证明认为儿童只会单纯地模仿的理论是站不住脚的。

10 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。

11 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

12 prosecutions   

起诉( prosecution的名词复数 )； 原告； 实施； 从事

参考例句：

• It is the duty of the Attorney-General to institute prosecutions. 检察总长负责提起公诉。
• Since World War II, the government has been active in its antitrust prosecutions. 第二次世界大战以来，政府积极地进行着反对托拉斯的检举活动。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件

13 partisan   

adj.党派性的；游击队的；n.游击队员；党徒

参考例句：

• In their anger they forget all the partisan quarrels.愤怒之中，他们忘掉一切党派之争。
• The numerous newly created partisan detachments began working slowly towards that region.许多新建的游击队都开始慢慢地向那里移动。

14 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。

15 withhold   

v.拒绝，不给；使停止，阻挡

参考例句：

• It was unscrupulous of their lawyer to withhold evidence.他们的律师隐瞒证据是不道德的。
• I couldn't withhold giving some loose to my indignation.我忍不住要发泄一点我的愤怒。

16 perjury   

n.伪证；伪证罪

参考例句：

• You'll be punished if you procure the witness to commit perjury.如果你诱使证人作伪证，你要受罚的。
• She appeared in court on a perjury charge.她因被指控做了伪证而出庭受审。

17 solicitor   

n.初级律师，事务律师

参考例句：

• The solicitor's advice gave me food for thought.律师的指点值得我深思。
• The solicitor moved for an adjournment of the case.律师请求将这个案件的诉讼延期。

18 clement   

adj.仁慈的；温和的

参考例句：

• A clement judge reduced his sentence.一位仁慈的法官为他减了刑。
• The planet's history contains many less stable and clement eras than the holocene.地球的历史包含着许多不如全新世稳定与温和的地质时期。

19 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。