美国国家公共电台 NPR Does FBI Raid On Trump Lawyer Cohen Mean Attorney-Client Privilege Is 'Dead'?

 

AUDIE CORNISH, HOST:

We're going to get the latest on the legal turmoil¹ surrounding the White House and the new questions since yesterday's FBI raids targeting President Trump²'s longtime personal lawyer Michael Cohen. One question that's come up again is about the president possibly taking action against special counsel Robert Mueller.

NPR's Ryan Lucas has been covering this. He's here in the studio. Hey there, Ryan.

RYAN LUCAS, BYLINE³: Hi there.

CORNISH: Any clearer today what this means for the president, this particular raid, and what it means for the special counsel's Russia investigation⁴?

LUCAS: Well, to put it plainly, this is not good news for the president. Remember who Michael Cohen is. He's been Trump's personal lawyer for years, but he's also served as almost a fixer for him. He's been deeply immersed in Trump's business dealings, in his personal matters. So in many ways he's kind of a fountain of information and of knowledge on the president. Now, Cohen is also known to be deeply loyal to Trump. Cohen even put out a tweet today with a quote that reads, "a person who deserves my loyalty⁵ receives it." And then he added, "I will always protect our @POTUS" - so @ the president.

As for the special counsel's investigation, the Cohen raids have certainly raised the political temperature around the Mueller probe. But it's important to point out here that the raids followed a referral from Mueller, but they weren't executed by Mueller's team. They were executed by the U.S. Attorney's Office in Manhattan. And under the regulations for the special counsel, if Mueller finds evidence of a possible crime outside of his purview⁶, Mueller is supposed to consult with the DOJ official overseeing the probe. In this case that's Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein. And then it's Rosenstein who decides whether the matter stays with Mueller or is kicked to a U.S. attorney elsewhere - so in this case in New York.

CORNISH: This hasn't stopped the president from complaining about Mueller in the investigation. And this is the weekly parlor⁷ game in Washington of whether Mueller will be fired. What is the answer this week?

LUCAS: Well, that question, as you noted⁸, has been hanging over Washington for months now. Reporters actually asked White House press secretary Sarah Sanders that exact question today. In the past when she's faced that question, Sanders has said that the White House believes Trump has the power to fire Mueller, but she's also added the caveat⁹ that he has no plans to do so. Today, though, there was a bit of a shift. She said the White House believes the president has the power to fire Mueller, but she left out the caveat, the caveat that he has no plans to do so.

CORNISH: OK, so unpack¹⁰ this for us. Does the president have the power to fire Mueller?

LUCAS: So Sanders was challenged on that point today. Here's what she had to say.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

SARAH HUCKABEE SANDERS: I know a number of individuals in the legal community and including at the Department of Justice said he has the power to do so. But I don't have any further announcements on...

(CROSSTALK)

LUCAS: Now, it's important to point out that Sanders did not cite the Justice Department official or any sort of legal guidance that told the White House that the president does indeed have the authority to fire Mueller. What the department has said in the past is that only Rosenstein, who oversees¹¹ the special counsel investigation, can fire Mueller for good cause. There has to be good cause. Rosenstein himself has voiced firm public support for Mueller as recently as last month. Now, Trump could fire Rosenstein. But the bottom line is he cannot fire Mueller directly.

CORNISH: In the meantime, what are you hearing from lawmakers' reaction to this week's news?

LUCAS: Well, Democrats¹² have renewed their calls for legislation to protect the special counsel. They've been doing this for quite some time, every time there's a flare-up related to Trump and Mueller. Republicans, meanwhile, have consistently said there's no need for that. They say Mueller isn't at risk of being fired. That's exactly what they were saying today. Now, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell also said today that he thinks Mueller should be able to finish the job unimpeded. But he said again he sees no reason to pass legislation to protect him.

CORNISH: That's NPR's Ryan Lucas. Thank you.

LUCAS: Thank you.

1 turmoil   

n.骚乱，混乱，动乱

参考例句：

• His mind was in such a turmoil that he couldn't get to sleep.内心的纷扰使他无法入睡。
• The robbery put the village in a turmoil.抢劫使全村陷入混乱。

2 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。

3 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。

4 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。

5 loyalty   

n.忠诚，忠心

参考例句：

• She told him the truth from a sense of loyalty.她告诉他真相是出于忠诚。
• His loyalty to his friends was never in doubt.他对朋友的一片忠心从来没受到怀疑。

6 purview   

n.范围；眼界

参考例句：

• These are questions that lie outside the purview of our inquiry.这些都不是属于我们调查范围的问题。
• That,however,was beyond the purview of the court;it was a diplomatic matter.但是，那已不在法庭权限之内；那是个外交问题。

7 parlor   

n.店铺，营业室；会客室，客厅

参考例句：

• She was lying on a small settee in the parlor.她躺在客厅的一张小长椅上。
• Is there a pizza parlor in the neighborhood?附近有没有比萨店？

8 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

9 caveat   

n.警告； 防止误解的说明

参考例句：

• I would offer a caveat for those who want to join me in the dual calling.为防止发生误解，我想对那些想要步我后尘的人提出警告。
• As I have written before,that's quite a caveat.正如我以前所写，那确实是个警告。

10 unpack   

vt.打开包裹（或行李），卸货

参考例句：

• I must unpack before dinner.我得在饭前把行李打开。
• She said she would unpack the items later.她说以后再把箱子里的东西拿出来。

11 oversees   

v.监督，监视( oversee的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• She oversees both the research and the manufacturing departments. 她既监督研究部门又监督生产部门。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The Department of Education oversees the federal programs dealing with education. 教育部监管处理教育的联邦程序。 来自互联网

12 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》