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(单词翻译:双击或拖选)
Capitol Hill
21 May 2007
President Bush is accusing Democrats2 in Congress of playing politics as they prepare to take a no-confidence vote this week on Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez. VOA's Dan Robinson reports from Capitol Hill, controversy3 involving Gonzalez and his handling of the dismissals of eight U.S. prosecutors4, will also be in the spotlight5 when one of his former aides testifies before a House committee.
President Bush Monday reiterated6 his support for his embattled attorney general, who has admitted to mishandling the process in which the U.S. attorneys were dismissed, while denying any political motives7 were behind it.
"He has got my confidence," said President Bush. "He has done nothing wrong. There's been enormous amount of attention on him. That there's been no wrongdoing on his part. He has testified in front of Congress. And I, frankly8, view what's taking place in Washington today as pure political theater."
The president's passion in defending Gonzalez indicates that if the attorney general is to leave, it won't be the result of any decision from the White House.
But while the president believes political motivations are behind the move by Senate Democrats to schedule an unusual no-confidence vote on the attorney general, Gonzalez has lost the backing of five key Senate Republicans.
Appearing on CBS' Face the Nation last Sunday, Pennsylvania Senator Arlen Specter, top Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, suggested Gonzalez might choose to resign before the no-confidence debate.
Designed to escalate9 pressure on Gonzalez to step down voluntarily, the effort by Senate Democrats will have some help from the House, where Democrats plan to bring up their own no-confidence resolution.
Debbie Wasserman Schultz (l) and Adam Schiff |
SCHIFF: "We take this step reluctantly, but we take it with the conviction that something is broken at the Department of Justice and Mr. Gonzalez is not the man to fix it.
SCHULTZ: This is not about partisan10 politics. This is about an individual who has lost the confidence of the Congress and the American people and needs to step aside."
If approved, both Senate and House measures, would be non-binding.
Adding to pressure on Gonzalez, Monica Goodling, the former Department of Justice liaison11 to the White House and a key figure in the U.S. attorneys matter, comes to Capitol Hill to testify before the House Judiciary Committee.
One of four key justice department officials to resign so far in connection with the controversy, Goodling initially12 declined to testify, citing her constitutional right against self-incrimination.
But lawmakers on the judiciary committee later voted to give her limited immunity13 in exchange for her appearance this Wednesday.
Testifying before the panel earlier this month, Attorney General Gonzalez apologized, as he did in an earlier Senate hearing, that the matter had become an unfortunate and undignified public spectacle.
However, he reiterated the position he has taken since the controversy began.
"It would be improper14 to remove a U.S. attorney to interfere15 with, or influence a particular prosecution16 for partisan political gain," said Gonzales. "I did not do that. I would never do that."
John Conyers, the Democratic panel chairman, had this observation as part of his opening remarks.
"One asks whether the administration is trying to cover up two simple truths: who created the list [of attorneys] and why," said John Conyers.
Adding to the pressure on Gonzalez was recent testimony17 to Congress by James Comey, a former deputy attorney general, who said Gonzalez tried in 2004 to persuade then Attorney General John Ashcroft, seriously ill at the time in a hospital, to approve an extension of President Bush's domestic eavesdropping18 program.
The key sponsor of the Senate no-confidence resolution on Gonzalez, Democrat1 Charles Schumer, says he expects it to draw support from at least 60 senators.
1 democrat | |
n.民主主义者,民主人士;民主党党员 | |
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2 democrats | |
n.民主主义者,民主人士( democrat的名词复数 ) | |
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3 controversy | |
n.争论,辩论,争吵 | |
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4 prosecutors | |
检举人( prosecutor的名词复数 ); 告发人; 起诉人; 公诉人 | |
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5 spotlight | |
n.公众注意的中心,聚光灯,探照灯,视听,注意,醒目 | |
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6 reiterated | |
反复地说,重申( reiterate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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7 motives | |
n.动机,目的( motive的名词复数 ) | |
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8 frankly | |
adv.坦白地,直率地;坦率地说 | |
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9 escalate | |
v.(使)逐步增长(或发展),(使)逐步升级 | |
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10 partisan | |
adj.党派性的;游击队的;n.游击队员;党徒 | |
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11 liaison | |
n.联系,(未婚男女间的)暖昧关系,私通 | |
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12 initially | |
adv.最初,开始 | |
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13 immunity | |
n.优惠;免除;豁免,豁免权 | |
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14 improper | |
adj.不适当的,不合适的,不正确的,不合礼仪的 | |
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15 interfere | |
v.(in)干涉,干预;(with)妨碍,打扰 | |
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16 prosecution | |
n.起诉,告发,检举,执行,经营 | |
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17 testimony | |
n.证词;见证,证明 | |
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18 eavesdropping | |
n. 偷听 | |
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