美国国家公共电台 NPR--Pressure mounts on Biden to stem fallout from mishandling of classified documents

Pressure mounts on Biden to stem fallout from mishandling of classified documents

Transcript¹

NPR's Leila Fadel speaks with Matt Bennett of the Democratic think tank Third Way about the path ahead for President Biden as he manages the fallout from the mishandling of classified documents.

LEILA FADEL, HOST:

Donald Trump³, President Biden and now former Vice⁴ President Mike Pence all have something in common - classified documents were found at their homes. Pence is the latest official to join this club. His lawyer says a small number of the documents were found at the former vice president's home in Indiana last week. They've since been turned over to the FBI. Pressure is also mounting on President Biden over the discoveries of classified documents at his home and a former office. Here's Senator Dick Durbin, the second-highest-ranking Democrat² in the Senate.

(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "STATE OF THE UNION")

DICK DURBIN: Well, I'm concerned. There's a standard that we follow when it comes to members of Congress and classified information. To think that any of them ended up in boxes in storage one place or the other is just unacceptable.

FADEL: We now turn to Matt Bennett, co-founder of the centrist Democratic think tank the Third Way. Good morning.

MATT BENNETT: Good morning.

FADEL: OK, so let's start with the latest. Now that classified documents were found at Pence's house, will the administration use this for their own political relief?

BENNETT: Well, I don't know if they will do it intentionally⁵, but I think that just, inevitably⁶, it provides political relief to the president. And it helps the public understand that these kinds of things can happen inadvertently. I take Vice President Pence at his word that he didn't know about these documents because, in the hectic⁷ days at the end of an administration - and I've been there for one - things get tossed in the wrong box. And I don't think anyone thinks vice presidents pack all their own stuff, so this was probably a staff error. And I think it was inadvertent, and I think the Biden team can point to that and say, look, this kind of thing happens to both sides.

FADEL: Yeah. I mean, at this point, I'm kind of wondering if every former president or VP has classified documents just lying around their house. Does this now stop the use of the mishandling of classified documents as the political weapon? As we've seen, the Democrats⁸ and Republicans use them against each other.

BENNETT: No, there's no question that House Republicans in particular are going to investigate...

FADEL: Yeah.

BENNETT: ...The Biden situation because they are politically motivated to do so. And, look, he's the president at the moment, so he's a bigger target than a former vice president. Although, if Pence runs, then I think this will become an issue on the trail for him. I do think you're going to see - you know, the Justice Department will be investigating the Biden situation, and the House as well. So it doesn't go away, but it definitely changes the political calculus⁹.

FADEL: You mention Pence possibly running for president. That's also something these three men have in common - Trump, Biden, Pence - all possible candidates for president in 2024. Does this hurt their chances?

BENNETT: I really don't think so. This is not the kind of scandal that voters think about when they're voting. It doesn't even really affect their view of the candidates themselves. I mean, if you look at the polling that's come out since the Trump and Biden revelations, it really has had very little impact on either candidate. So I don't think this is going to have a big political tail to it.

FADEL: Now, this is all happening as a new, untested chief of staff is coming in for Biden. Is he equipped to handle the backlash over this, yes, but other issues as well? Republicans in the House say they plan multiple investigations¹¹, and they've seized on other things, like the Afghanistan withdrawal¹², Hunter Biden.

BENNETT: I think he is. The - you know, his chief qualification is that he's very good at management. And I think, in the next two years, the White House is going to need someone who can manage a kind of cascade¹³ of different issues and problems and challenges. He's going to have the House investigations over this and probably 10 other things. Republicans are ginning up all kinds of investigations - some of them completely spurious, but others they'll have to pay attention to. They've got to implement¹⁴ the very large spending bills that were passed in the last two years. They've got to get a few things passed through Congress, like raising the debt ceiling. And then there's inevitably things that come along, both domestically and international, that the president has to deal with. And then they've got to run the campaign. So I think somebody that can kind of keep all of those pieces moving - the plates spinning - is the right person for that job.

FADEL: And this is that person?

BENNETT: I think it is. I mean, he did a tremendous job both when he came into the Obama team to fix the rollout of the Affordable¹⁵ Care Act and then with the rollout of vaccines¹⁶. Those were big, multipart problems that he was managing, and he did, by all accounts, an amazing job on both.

FADEL: Back to the classified materials - Biden and Pence both cooperating with authorities, both disclosing. The Trump case - different - he hid documents. He didn't cooperate with authorities in the same way. Does this latest discovery let him off the hook, not just with voters, but more generally?

BENNETT: No, I don't think so. The Justice Department has - it doesn't matter to the Justice Department that Joe Biden and Mike Pence are dealing¹⁷ with similar situations. They're going to do their own investigation¹⁰. And if Donald Trump had - you know, did things that were illegal, that is going to matter to them, and I don't think it matters that there are other things bubbling, you know, on other parts of the stove here.

FADEL: Matt Bennett served in Bill Clinton's White House and co-founded the Third Way think tank. Thank you so much for your time.

BENNETT: Thank you.

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 democrat   

n.民主主义者，民主人士；民主党党员

参考例句：

• The Democrat and the Public criticized each other.民主党人和共和党人互相攻击。
• About two years later,he was defeated by Democrat Jimmy Carter.大约两年后，他被民主党人杰米卡特击败。

3 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。

4 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

5 intentionally   

ad.故意地，有意地

参考例句：

• I didn't say it intentionally. 我是无心说的。
• The local authority ruled that he had made himself intentionally homeless and was therefore not entitled to be rehoused. 当地政府裁定他是有意居无定所，因此没有资格再获得提供住房。

6 inevitably   

adv.不可避免地；必然发生地

参考例句：

• In the way you go on,you are inevitably coming apart.照你们这样下去，毫无疑问是会散伙的。
• Technological changes will inevitably lead to unemployment.技术变革必然会导致失业。

7 hectic   

adj.肺病的；消耗热的；发热的；闹哄哄的

参考例句：

• I spent a very hectic Sunday.我度过了一个忙乱的星期天。
• The two days we spent there were enjoyable but hectic.我们在那里度过的两天愉快但闹哄哄的。

8 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》

9 calculus   

n.微积分；结石

参考例句：

• This is a problem where calculus won't help at all.对于这一题，微积分一点也用不上。
• After studying differential calculus you will be able to solve these mathematical problems.学了微积分之后，你们就能够解这些数学题了。

10 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。

11 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。

12 withdrawal   

n.取回，提款；撤退，撤军；收回，撤销

参考例句：

• The police were forced to make a tactical withdrawal.警方被迫进行战术撤退。
• They insisted upon a withdrawal of the statement and a public apology.他们坚持要收回那些话并公开道歉。

13 cascade   

n.小瀑布，喷流；层叠；vi.成瀑布落下

参考例句：

• She watched the magnificent waterfall cascade down the mountainside.她看着壮观的瀑布从山坡上倾泻而下。
• Her hair fell over her shoulders in a cascade of curls.她的卷发像瀑布一样垂在肩上。

14 implement   

n.(pl.)工具，器具；vt.实行，实施，执行

参考例句：

• Don't undertake a project unless you can implement it.不要承担一项计划，除非你能完成这项计划。
• The best implement for digging a garden is a spade.在花园里挖土的最好工具是铁锹。

15 affordable   

adj.支付得起的，不太昂贵的

参考例句：

• The rent for the four-roomed house is affordable.四居室房屋的房租付得起。
• There are few affordable apartments in big cities.在大城市中没有几所公寓是便宜的。

16 vaccines   

疫苗，痘苗( vaccine的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His team are at the forefront of scientific research into vaccines. 他的小组处于疫苗科研的最前沿。
• The vaccines were kept cool in refrigerators. 疫苗放在冰箱中冷藏。

17 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。