2006年VOA标准英语-Panel Hears Criticism of FBI Raid on Congressma
时间:2018-12-16 作者:英语课 分类:2006年VOA标准英语(五月)
By Dan Robinson
Capitol Hill
30 May 2006
Witnesses and lawmakers at a congressional hearing on Capitol Hill have sharply criticized an FBI raid on the office of a member of Congress, calling it a dangerous violation 1 of constitutional principles.
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William Jefferson
One after another, witnesses called the FBI raid on the office of Congressman 2 William Jefferson an unprecedented 3 breach 4 of protections the Constitution provides members of Congress against intrusions by the Executive Branch of government.
In the 18-hour search, under authority of a court warrant, the FBI removed paper and computer records from the office of the Louisiana Democratic lawmaker, who has been the subject of a federal bribery 6 investigation 7.
That means federal investigators 8 had access not only to material that may have been related to their investigation of Jefferson, but also other material relating to his legislative 9 and representational activities.
House Judiciary Committee Chairman James Sensbrenner, a Republican, says the issues raised by the search transcend 10 any particular member of Congress.
"A constitutional question is raised when communications between members of Congress and their constituents 11, documents having nothing whatsoever 12 to do with any crime, are seized by the executive branch without constitutional authority," said Mr. Sensbrenner. "This seizure 13 occurred without so much as lawyers or representatives of Congress being allowed to simply observe the search and how it was conducted. Neither was anyone representing the institutional interests of Congress allowed to make a case before a judge raising these important separation of powers issues."
In preparing the affidavit 14 that formed the basis of a court-approved search warrant, the Justice Department said it acted only because other methods had been exhausted 15, principally a subpoena 16 to force Jefferson to hand over documents.
Constitutional scholar and George Washington University Professor of Law Jonathan Turley calls the raid on the Jefferson office a tradition-shattering challenge to the separation of powers:
"The raid on this office, of Representative Jefferson, represents a profound and almost gratuitous 17 insult to a co-equal branch of government," said Mr. Turley. "In the history of this country, no president has ever ordered or allowed a search of an office of a sitting member of this House."
Turley urges lawmakers to respond forcefully and quickly with legislation aimed at preventing a recurrence 18 of the event.
Bruce Fein is principal partner in The Lichfield Group consulting firm.
"It is exceptionally important that the Congress respond clearly and authoritatively 19 with a statute 20 that rejects the authority of the Executive Branch [of government], whether or not a search warrant is authorized 21 by a judge, to look through the files of a member's office and glance at legislative protected materials under the speech or debate clause," he said. "That kind of authority can be abused to intimidate 22, to cow Congress, into submission 23 to executive desires."
Robert Walker, a former congressman from Pennsylvania and now chairman of the Wexler & Wexler public affairs firm, does not advocate legislation, but urges Congress to take other steps.
"Congressional leadership must seek an explanation for the seemingly-oblivious nature of the warrant process," he said. Demand a full accounting 24 for the decision-making process that led to the Rayburn [Building] raid. The Judiciary Committee should be prepared to subpoena documents tied to this incident. Seek an explanation for what seems to be a lack of judicial 25 respect for the traditions and precedents 26 that have insulated legislative deliberations from the threat of overzealous exercise of Executive power. "
As they consider responses to the FBI raid, lawmakers are not asserting that members of Congress be immune from law-enforcement investigations 27. But they are accusing the government of ignoring proper procedures.
Congressman John Conyers is the ranking Democrat 5 on the Judiciary Committee:
"Ten days after the fact, we have never been told why the pending 28 subpoena against a member [of Congress] could not have been enforced consistent with the law," said Mr. Conyers.
Charles Tiefer is Professor of Law at the University of Baltimore School of Law.
"This raid had all the elements of unconstitutional Executive intimidation," said Mr. Tiefer. "It breached 29 what I have just described, a previously 30 sacrosanct 31 constitutional tradition."
President Bush last week ordered that the materials seized by the FBI from Congressman Jefferson's office be sealed for 45 days, a kind of cooling off period as Congress and government officials tackle the issues raised by the search.
Congressional leaders have predicted that the issues are of such magnitude to deserve eventual 32 consideration by the Supreme 33 Court.
Witnesses supported that, and Congressman Sensenbrenner says he will call Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez and other officials to testify in additional hearings.
Although the hearing occurred during a weeklong congressional recess 34, and did not summon Bush administration witnesses to testify, it ensures the matter will remain a key focus of congressional attention in coming weeks.
- He roared that was a violation of the rules.他大声说,那是违反规则的。
- He was fined 200 dollars for violation of traffic regulation.他因违反交通规则被罚款200美元。
- 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。
- The air crash caused an unprecedented number of deaths.这次空难的死亡人数是空前的。
- A flood of this sort is really unprecedented.这样大的洪水真是十年九不遇。
- We won't have any breach of discipline.我们不允许任何破坏纪律的现象。
- He was sued for breach of contract.他因不履行合同而被起诉。
- 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。
- 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。
- 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。
- This memo could be the smoking gun that investigators have been looking for. 这份备忘录可能是调查人员一直在寻找的证据。
- The team consisted of six investigators and two secretaries. 这个团队由六个调查人员和两个秘书组成。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- Congress is the legislative branch of the U.S. government.国会是美国政府的立法部门。
- Today's hearing was just the first step in the legislative process.今天的听证会只是展开立法程序的第一步。
- We can't transcend the limitations of the ego.我们无法超越自我的局限性。
- Everyone knows that the speed of airplanes transcend that of ships.人人都知道飞机的速度快于轮船的速度。
- She has the full support of her constituents. 她得到本区选民的全力支持。
- Hydrogen and oxygen are the constituents of water. 氢和氧是水的主要成分。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- There's no reason whatsoever to turn down this suggestion.没有任何理由拒绝这个建议。
- All things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you,do ye even so to them.你想别人对你怎样,你就怎样对人。
- The seizure of contraband is made by customs.那些走私品是被海关没收的。
- The courts ordered the seizure of all her property.法院下令查封她所有的财产。
- I gave an affidavit to the judge about the accident I witnessed.我向法官提交了一份关于我目击的事故的证词。
- The affidavit was formally read to the court.书面证词正式向出席法庭的人宣读了。
- It was a long haul home and we arrived exhausted.搬运回家的这段路程特别长,到家时我们已筋疲力尽。
- Jenny was exhausted by the hustle of city life.珍妮被城市生活的忙乱弄得筋疲力尽。
- He was brought up to court with a subpoena.他接到传讯,来到法庭上。
- Select committees have the power to subpoena witnesses.特别委员会有权传唤证人。
- His criticism is quite gratuitous.他的批评完全没有根据。
- There's too much crime and gratuitous violence on TV.电视里充斥着犯罪和无端的暴力。
- More care in the future will prevent recurrence of the mistake.将来的小心可防止错误的重现。
- He was aware of the possibility of a recurrence of his illness.他知道他的病有可能复发。
- "If somebody'll come here and sit with him," he snapped authoritatively. “来个人到这儿陪他坐着。”他用发号施令的口吻说。
- To decide or settle(a dispute, for example) conclusively and authoritatively. 判定结论性、权威性地决定或解决(纠纷等)
- Protection for the consumer is laid down by statute.保障消费者利益已在法令里作了规定。
- The next section will consider this environmental statute in detail.下一部分将详细论述环境法令的问题。
- An administrative order is valid if authorized by a statute.如果一个行政命令得到一个法规的认可那么这个命令就是有效的。
- You think you can intimidate people into doing what you want?你以为你可以威胁别人做任何事?
- The first strike capacity is intended mainly to intimidate adversary.第一次攻击的武力主要是用来吓阻敌方的。
- The defeated general showed his submission by giving up his sword.战败将军缴剑表示投降。
- No enemy can frighten us into submission.任何敌人的恐吓都不能使我们屈服。
- A job fell vacant in the accounting department.财会部出现了一个空缺。
- There's an accounting error in this entry.这笔账目里有差错。
- He is a man with a judicial mind.他是个公正的人。
- Tom takes judicial proceedings against his father.汤姆对他的父亲正式提出诉讼。
- There is no lack of precedents in this connection. 不乏先例。
- He copied after bad precedents. 他仿效恶例。
- 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。
- The lawsuit is still pending in the state court.这案子仍在州法庭等待定夺。
- He knew my examination was pending.他知道我就要考试了。
- These commitments have already been breached. 这些承诺已遭背弃。
- Our tanks have breached the enemy defences. 我方坦克车突破了敌人的防线。
- The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
- Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿,解释原先发生了什么。
- In India,the cow is a sacrosanct animal.牛在印度是神圣的动物。
- Philip Glass is ignorant of establishing an immutable, sacrosanct urtext.菲利普·格拉斯不屑于创立不变的、神圣的原始文本。
- Several schools face eventual closure.几所学校面临最终关闭。
- Both parties expressed optimism about an eventual solution.双方对问题的最终解决都表示乐观。