-
(单词翻译:双击或拖选)
Trump1 should face justice just like anyone else would, argues Rep. Raskin
After more than a year of interviewing witnesses, gathering3 evidence and holding public meetings, the House select committee concluded its final hearing on Monday by referring former President Donald Trump for four criminal charges.
The panel voted unanimously to refer Trump and others to the Justice Department on charges of obstruction4 of an official proceeding5, conspiracy6 to defraud7 the United States, conspiracy to make a false statement and conspiracy to defraud the U.S. by assisting, aiding or comforting those involved in an insurrection.
It also referred four fellow members of Congress, all Republicans, to the House ethics8 committee for failing to comply with subpoenas10. They are Reps. Kevin McCarthy of California, Jim Jordan of Ohio, Scott Perry of Pennsylvania and Andy Biggs of Arizona.
It's unlikely the ethics committee would take these on as Republicans take control of the House in January (and McCarthy is poised11 to be the next speaker).
But Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., — a member of the Jan. 6 panel who previously12 served as the lead manager in Trump's second impeachment13 trial — tells Morning Edition's Steve Inskeep that ignoring or burying those recommendations would set "a terrible precedent14 for the future."
"It's of special concern when there's an attempt to overthrow15 our election and essentially16 subdue17 our constitutional order and have someone seize the presidency18 who didn't win it," he says. "And if members of Congress have knowledge of that and may have been involved in it but refuse to say anything about it, we're setting a precedent for future attacks on democracy itself. And that's really the burden of our committee, to make sure that we prevent coups19, insurrections, electoral sabotage20 and political violence in the future."
As for Trump, who has already announced his bid for reelection, Raskin says the question is not whether potentially prosecuting21 a former president is the right thing for the country, but whether or not he engaged in criminal conduct.
Trump satisfies the elements for obstructing22 an official proceeding, Raskin says, adding, "that was the whole purpose of his scheme and he succeeded in interrupting it for four hours, the only time that's ever happened in American history."
He adds that the former president also engaged in a conspiracy to make false statements and defraud the U.S. (through the fake electors scheme specifically), and that he "acted to incite23, assist and give aid and comfort to an insurrection." And it's based on those facts and laws that Trump should be held accountable, Raskin argues.
"In a society where all of us are treated equally under the law, the fact that he's a former president would make no more difference than the fact that he's a former businessman or TV star," he says.
Raskin spoke24 to Morning Edition about the committee's conclusions, what they mean for the public and what could happen next.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
On why Trump bears responsibility
More than 900 people have been prosecuted25 for crimes like assaulting federal officers, destroying federal property, seditious conspiracy, attempt to overthrow or put down the government. Why should the foot soldiers be going to jail and not the ringleaders and the masterminds of this scheme to defeat American democracy? Look, if Donald Trump had succeeded, he'd be bragging26 about it, how he was the one who came up with the whole plan. It's very clear to those of us who've given two years of our lives to studying this that none of it would have happened without the will of Donald Trump.
On what he hopes the new ethics committee will do
The ethics committee is split between Democrats27 and Republicans and they're facing a pretty profound question, which is: If members of Congress get subpoenaed28 to testify about their knowledge of a criminal offense29, and this one an attack on the constitution itself, can they just blow off the subpoena9? We're not able to take them to court, likely because of the Speech or Debate Clause which says that we can't hold people to account who are members of Congress outside of Congress; We have to hold them to account within the channels of Congress. And so all we really could do is refer them to the ethics committee. And I trust and hope that the members of the ethics committee on a bipartisan basis will consider this very serious problem.
On the possibility of House Republicans investigating his committee
The work of our committee is an open book. We want the whole country to see all of the transcripts30, all of the interviews, everything that took place, so we're going to try to make it public as quickly as possible. Obviously, someone with a jaundiced eye could go in and try to look for something else, but we're used to that at this point and we really do feel like we're standing31 up for democracy for future generations.
On whether he thinks the report has altered public understanding of Jan. 6
I think most of the public understands that Donald Trump's own attorney general said that his claims in the big lie are, quote, "BS" ... They understand that Donald Trump wanted to wave in all of the armed people that he was perfectly32 aware were in the crowd. They understand that he said, "You go and fight like hell or you won't have a country anymore." They understand that he took no concern to try to protect us against the mob that he unleashed33 against us — so he didn't call the Army, he didn't call the National Guard, he sat there in his little dining room watching this unfold like a perfect bystander or someone from another country or another planet. He showed no interest in trying to defend us. I think that story is indelibly imprinted34 in the public imagination.
1 trump | |
n.王牌,法宝;v.打出王牌,吹喇叭 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
2 transcript | |
n.抄本,誊本,副本,肄业证书 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
3 gathering | |
n.集会,聚会,聚集 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
4 obstruction | |
n.阻塞,堵塞;障碍物 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
5 proceeding | |
n.行动,进行,(pl.)会议录,学报 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
6 conspiracy | |
n.阴谋,密谋,共谋 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
7 defraud | |
vt.欺骗,欺诈 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
8 ethics | |
n.伦理学;伦理观,道德标准 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
9 subpoena | |
n.(法律)传票;v.传讯 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
10 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: |
|
|
11 poised | |
a.摆好姿势不动的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
12 previously | |
adv.以前,先前(地) | |
参考例句: |
|
|
13 impeachment | |
n.弹劾;控告;怀疑 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
14 precedent | |
n.先例,前例;惯例;adj.在前的,在先的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
15 overthrow | |
v.推翻,打倒,颠覆;n.推翻,瓦解,颠覆 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
16 essentially | |
adv.本质上,实质上,基本上 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
17 subdue | |
vt.制服,使顺从,征服;抑制,克制 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
18 presidency | |
n.总统(校长,总经理)的职位(任期) | |
参考例句: |
|
|
19 coups | |
n.意外而成功的行动( coup的名词复数 );政变;努力办到难办的事 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
20 sabotage | |
n.怠工,破坏活动,破坏;v.从事破坏活动,妨害,破坏 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
21 prosecuting | |
检举、告发某人( prosecute的现在分词 ); 对某人提起公诉; 继续从事(某事物); 担任控方律师 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
22 obstructing | |
阻塞( obstruct的现在分词 ); 堵塞; 阻碍; 阻止 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
23 incite | |
v.引起,激动,煽动 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
24 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: |
|
|
25 prosecuted | |
a.被起诉的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
26 bragging | |
v.自夸,吹嘘( brag的现在分词 );大话 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
27 democrats | |
n.民主主义者,民主人士( democrat的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句: |
|
|
28 subpoenaed | |
v.(用传票)传唤(某人)( subpoena的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句: |
|
|
29 offense | |
n.犯规,违法行为;冒犯,得罪 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
30 transcripts | |
n.抄本( transcript的名词复数 );转写本;文字本;副本 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
31 standing | |
n.持续,地位;adj.永久的,不动的,直立的,不流动的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
32 perfectly | |
adv.完美地,无可非议地,彻底地 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
33 unleashed | |
v.把(感情、力量等)释放出来,发泄( unleash的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句: |
|
|
34 imprinted | |
v.盖印(imprint的过去式与过去分词形式) | |
参考例句: |
|
|