Rep. Fortenberry fights criminal charges while seeking reelection

Rep. Fortenberry fights criminal charges while seeking reelection

Republican Rep. Jeff Fortenberry of Nebraska will be in federal court Wednesday, accused of accepting illegal campaign donations and lying about it. He's also in a challenge to keep his seat.

A MARTINEZ, HOST:

Nebraska Congressman¹ Jeff Fortenberry is in federal court today, accused of accepting illegal campaign donations and lying about it. He's facing these charges while also in a challenge to keep his seat. Bill Kelly with Nebraska Public Media News reports.

BILL KELLY, BYLINE²: Last October, Congressman Jeff Fortenberry released a video on YouTube to let Nebraska know he'd been indicted³ by a federal grand jury.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

JEFF FORTENBERRY: I wanted to send you a video because we do have something hard to tell you.

KELLY: Fortenberry sits in the cab of his pickup⁴ next to his wife and hunting dog. He explained FBI agents interviewed him about accepting illegal campaign donations.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

FORTENBERRY: They've accused me of lying to them and are charging me with this. We're shocked. We're stunned⁵.

KELLY: The story begins in 2014. Fortenberry championed the cause of the Christian⁶ minority facing persecution⁷ in the Middle East, one favored by Gilbert Chagoury, a Lebanese-born industrialist⁸ living in Nigeria. Anna Massoglia researched the billionaire's donations for OpenSecrets.org.

ANNA MASSOGLIA: He's been a quiet figure since the 1990s. He had been involved in contributions to the Clintons. He has given to both sides of the aisles⁹.

KELLY: In court documents, prosecutors¹¹ say Chagoury made payments to a group of American citizens, who then wrote checks to Fortenberry at a 2016 fundraiser in Los Angeles, becoming so-called straw donors¹².

MASSOGLIA: This happens because foreign nationals are prohibited from getting involved in U.S. elections, pushing for specific candidates.

KELLY: Prosecutors say the FBI secretly recorded the host of the fundraiser telling Fortenberry more than once the contributions originated with Chagoury, who legally could not donate as a foreign national. Sometime later, the congressman got the knock on the door at his home in Nebraska, as he explained from the cab of his pickup.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

FORTENBERRY: They were FBI agents from California. I let them in my house. I answered their questions. Later, we went back and answered further questions. I told them what I knew and what I understood.

KELLY: Chagoury had already admitted knowing the scheme was illegal, according to a plea bargain filed in federal court. He struck a deal, avoiding criminal charges. After a second FBI interview, Fortenberry was charged with lying to federal agents. He returned the donations once he learned he was being investigated. Days after being indicted, a state senator announced a primary election campaign and won the endorsement¹³ of Governor Pete Ricketts. Fortenberry's defense¹⁴ team says the investigation¹⁵ was a political setup, skimming over the fact that the billionaire Chagoury sought influence across the political spectrum¹⁶ in Washington.

LAURIE LEVENSON: I think the Department of Justice is developing zero tolerance¹⁷ for those who would violate the rules and then lie about it.

KELLY: Former U.S. attorney and Loyola law professor Laurie Levenson says $30,000 is a small case, but it sends a message to public officials.

LEVENSON: Where Fortenberry really got himself in trouble was lying. And that's what the prosecutors have gone after him about. They don't need to bring a bribery¹⁸ charge. They don't have to show the quid pro¹⁰ quo. They just have to show the lie.

KELLY: Prosecutors say Gilbert Chagoury was advised to donate to rural lawmakers because small donations make a big impression in those campaigns. The congressman faces a maximum of 15 years in prison on three federal charges.

For NPR News, I'm Bill Kelly in Lincoln, Neb.

(SOUNDBITE OF FAZER'S "HARLESDEN")

1 Congressman   

n.（美）国会议员

参考例句：

• He related several anecdotes about his first years as a congressman.他讲述自己初任议员那几年的几则轶事。
• The congressman is meditating a reply to his critics.这位国会议员正在考虑给他的批评者一个答复。

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 indicted   

控告，起诉( indict的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The senator was indicted for murder. 那位参议员被控犯谋杀罪。
• He was indicted by a grand jury on two counts of murder. 他被大陪审团以两项谋杀罪名起诉。

4 pickup   

n.拾起，获得

参考例句：

• I would love to trade this car for a pickup truck.我愿意用这辆汽车换一辆小型轻便卡车。||The luck guy is a choice pickup for the girls.那位幸运的男孩是女孩子们想勾搭上的人。

5 stunned   

adj. 震惊的，惊讶的 动词stun的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• The fall stunned me for a moment. 那一下摔得我昏迷了片刻。
• The leaders of the Kopper Company were then stunned speechless. 科伯公司的领导们当时被惊得目瞪口呆。

6 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

7 persecution   

n. 迫害,烦扰

参考例句：

• He had fled from France at the time of the persecution. 他在大迫害时期逃离了法国。
• Their persecution only serves to arouse the opposition of the people. 他们的迫害只激起人民对他们的反抗。

8 industrialist   

n.工业家，实业家

参考例句：

• The industrialist's son was kidnapped.这名实业家的儿子被绑架了。
• Mr.Smith was a wealthy industrialist,but he was not satisfied with life.史密斯先生是位富有的企业家，可他对生活感到不满意。

9 aisles   

n. (席位间的)通道, 侧廊

参考例句：

• Aisles were added to the original Saxon building in the Norman period. 在诺曼时期，原来的萨克森风格的建筑物都增添了走廊。
• They walked about the Abbey aisles, and presently sat down. 他们走到大教堂的走廊附近，并且很快就坐了下来。

10 pro   

n.赞成，赞成的意见，赞成者

参考例句：

• The two debating teams argued the question pro and con.辩论的两组从赞成与反对两方面辩这一问题。
• Are you pro or con nuclear disarmament?你是赞成还是反对核裁军？

11 prosecutors   

检举人( prosecutor的名词复数 )； 告发人； 起诉人； 公诉人

参考例句：

• In some places,public prosecutors are elected rather than appointed. 在有些地方，检察官是经选举而非任命产生的。 来自口语例句
• You've been summoned to the Prosecutors' Office, 2 days later. 你在两天以后被宣到了检察官的办公室。

12 donors   

n.捐赠者( donor的名词复数 )；献血者；捐血者；器官捐献者

参考例句：

• Please email us to be removed from our active list of blood donors. 假如你想把自己的名字从献血联系人名单中删去，请给我们发电子邮件。
• About half this amount comes from individual donors and bequests. 这笔钱大约有一半来自个人捐赠及遗赠。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 endorsement   

n.背书；赞成，认可，担保；签(注)，批注

参考例句：

• We are happy to give the product our full endorsement.我们很高兴给予该产品完全的认可。
• His presidential campaign won endorsement from several celebrities.他参加总统竞选得到一些社会名流的支持。

14 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

15 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。

16 spectrum   

n.谱，光谱，频谱；范围，幅度，系列

参考例句：

• This is a kind of atomic spectrum.这是一种原子光谱。
• We have known much of the constitution of the solar spectrum.关于太阳光谱的构成，我们已了解不少。

17 tolerance   

n.宽容；容忍，忍受；耐药力；公差

参考例句：

• Tolerance is one of his strengths.宽容是他的一个优点。
• Human beings have limited tolerance of noise.人类对噪音的忍耐力有限。

18 bribery   

n.贿络行为，行贿，受贿

参考例句：

• FBI found out that the senator committed bribery.美国联邦调查局查明这个参议员有受贿行为。
• He was charged with bribery.他被指控受贿。