美国国家公共电台 NPR Democrats To Attorney General Sessions: Don't Duck Our Questions

 

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

Attorney General Jeff Sessions testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee today for what is billed as a routine oversight¹ hearing. That's what it's billed, but nothing feels very routine about the issues the Justice Department is involved in just now or about this hearing. NPR justice correspondent Carrie Johnson is here. Hi, Carrie.

CARRIE JOHNSON, BYLINE²: Good morning, Steve.

INSKEEP: Now I say this doesn't feel routine because before the hearing, Senate Democrats³ put Attorney General Sessions on notice, sending him a letter saying, we write to express our expectation that you will answer members' questions fully⁴ and truthfully. The fact that they would send a letter suggests that they're fearful of something else.

JOHNSON: Well, the attorney general, Jeff Sessions, testified in June before the Senate intelligence committee, and Democrats there think he ducked a lot of tough questions by saying at some point in the future, President Trump⁵ might invoke⁶ executive privilege. So Sessions said he couldn't talk about his sensitive conversations with Trump because the White House might quash those remarks by him. Well, Democrats sent a letter to Sessions last week saying the time is up, bub. Either the president's going to assert privilege or not on these issues, but next week, you need to come prepared to respond to our questions.

INSKEEP: I would love it if the letter actually used the word bub.

JOHNSON: (Laughter).

INSKEEP: I assume it didn't say bub, but...

JOHNSON: Sadly no.

INSKEEP: No, no. But in any case, so does that mean he actually has to answer their questions?

JOHNSON: Well, Sessions can speak on behalf of the White House to say, on the following topics, President Trump says I can't talk about these things. But Democrats have said Jeff Sessions needs to bring a list of those topics to the hearing so they can have some credibility.

INSKEEP: Oh, meaning that they want to hear that the White House has specifically invoked⁷ executive privilege, not that Sessions thinks the White House might hypothetically invoke executive privilege?

JOHNSON: That is one of the many things I'm going to be looking for today.

INSKEEP: OK, so let's talk about what they might talk about if Sessions proves willing to talk about it. What are some of the key issues that they're going to be discussing?

JOHNSON: Well, first of all, Russia. Remember at his confirmation⁸ hearing, Jeff Sessions went out of his way to deny contacts with Russians during the campaign last year when he was a surrogate for President Trump. It turned out The Washington Post reported Sessions had at least two meetings with Russians during that period last year. Sessions eventually had to supplement his testimony⁹.

There are still some open questions about whether he might have had a third contact with Russians last year. And what is the nature of his communication with Special Counsel Robert Mueller, who's investigating Russian interference in last year's election? The attorney general of the United States could be a witness in a criminal investigation¹⁰. Think about that, Steve, it's pretty remarkable¹¹.

INSKEEP: Those questions you just raised, are those some of the questions or some of the areas that Sessions wouldn't really talk about last time?

JOHNSON: Well, typically, the White House can exert - assert executive privilege over sensitive communications involving the president, advice to the president. And as the attorney general, Jeff Sessions was in a good position to give advice to the president on any number of topics, legal ones especially, political sensitive conversations as well.

INSKEEP: Aren't there a lot of other things to ask Jeff Sessions about?

JOHNSON: Yeah, absolutely. He's pledged to do a number of things, and already has done a number of things, over the last eight months. He's returned to support local police, he says, and stop investigations¹² into excessive force. He reversed course in two major voting rights cases in Texas and Ohio where the Obama Justice Department had been challenging state laws as either discriminatory or problematic or both. And he also revoked¹³ protections for transgender students this year - all major changes supported by President Donald Trump's political base.

INSKEEP: OK. Going to be a lot to talk about today, and NPR justice correspondent Carrie Johnson will be listening for us. Thanks, Carrie.

JOHNSON: You're welcome.

(SOUNDBITE OF MAMMAL HANDS' "SHIFT")

1 oversight   

n.勘漏，失察，疏忽

参考例句：

• I consider this a gross oversight on your part.我把这件事看作是你的一大疏忽。
• Your essay was not marked through an oversight on my part.由于我的疏忽你的文章没有打分。

2 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。

3 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》

4 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

5 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。

6 invoke   

v.求助于(神、法律)；恳求，乞求

参考例句：

• Let us invoke the blessings of peace.让我们祈求和平之福。
• I hope I'll never have to invoke this clause and lodge a claim with you.我希望我永远不会使用这个条款向你们索赔。

7 invoked   

v.援引( invoke的过去式和过去分词 )；行使（权利等）；祈求救助；恳求

参考例句：

• It is unlikely that libel laws will be invoked. 不大可能诉诸诽谤法。
• She had invoked the law in her own defence. 她援引法律为自己辩护。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 confirmation   

n.证实，确认，批准

参考例句：

• We are waiting for confirmation of the news.我们正在等待证实那个消息。
• We need confirmation in writing before we can send your order out.给你们发送订购的货物之前，我们需要书面确认。

9 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。

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 remarkable   

adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的

参考例句：

• She has made remarkable headway in her writing skills.她在写作技巧方面有了长足进步。
• These cars are remarkable for the quietness of their engines.这些汽车因发动机没有噪音而不同凡响。

12 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。

13 revoked   

adj.[法]取消的v.撤销，取消，废除( revoke的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• It may be revoked if the check is later dishonoured. 以后如支票被拒绝支付，结算可以撤销。 来自辞典例句
• A will is revoked expressly. 遗嘱可以通过明示推翻。 来自辞典例句