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The War on Mueller
对穆勒宣战
By Molly Ball and Tessa Berenson
文/莫莉·鲍尔，特莎·贝伦森
In a warren of low-ceilinged rooms on the ground floor of the west wing,
穿过白宫西翼一楼一连串综合交错的低矮房间，
down the stairs from the oval office and next to the situation room,
从椭圆形办公室处下楼，就在战情室旁的会议室，
Donald Trump’s lawyers are waging war.
唐纳德·特朗普的律师们正在发动一场战争。
They’re locked in battle with Robert Mueller, the special counsel investigating Russia’s interference in the 2016 election,
他们与罗伯特·穆勒陷入了激战，身为调查俄罗斯干预2016年美国大选一事的特别检察官，
who has indicted 19 people over the past 13 months, five of whom have pleaded guilty.
在过去13个月的时间里，穆勒已经起诉了19人，其中5人已经认罪。
Now he is homing in on the investigation’s most powerful subject: the President,
现在，他的目光锁定了此案涉及的最为显赫的人物：总统，
whom Mueller wants to testify under oath about what he knows.
穆勒希望总统能够就自己了解的情况宣誓作证。
It’s a dangerous moment for Trump.
对特朗普而言，形势颇为危险。
If he agrees to talk, the notoriously undisciplined President risks making a false statement,
如果同意开口，这位出了名的放飞自我的总统可能会做出错误的声明，
which could be a crime like the one that led to Bill Clinton’s impeachment.
声明就可能像比尔·克林顿被弹劾的情形一样演变成罪行。
But if he refuses, Mueller could issue a subpoena,
但如果他拒绝宣誓作证，穆勒可能会发传票，
instigating a long, high-profile court battle over whether Trump could be forced to testify.
继而掀起一场备受瞩目，旷日持久的法庭之争，争论的主题则是能不能强迫特朗普出庭作证。
The two legal teams—Mueller’s squad of top prosecutors and Trump’s rotating cast of advocates—
两个法律团队——穆勒的高级检察官团队和特朗普的轮换律师团队——
are haggling over what an interrogation would look like:
正在为审讯的性质，
how long it would be, what topics would be on the table and whether the session would be recorded.
即持续时间，讨论哪些话题，审讯是否会被记录下来等讨价还价。
Before the President talks to investigators, Trump’s team wants to see the authorization letter that established Mueller’s authority,
据特朗普的律师鲁迪·朱利安尼透露，特朗普的团队希望在总统接受调查之前，
according to Trump’s lawyer Rudy Giuliani.
穆勒能够先出示证明自己有权调查总统的授权信。
They are also demanding the special counsel’s report to be issued within 60 days of any interview.
他们还要求，特别检察官的报告必须在与总统进行面谈，无论是何种形式的面谈后的60天内发表。
As that conflict grinds on largely out of sight, Trump is leading a brazen political campaign to discredit Mueller.
就在这场冲突很大程度上已经消失之际，特朗普掀起了一场无耻的政治运动，开始抹黑穆勒。
In Trump’s telling, the special counsel’s investigation was illegitimate from the start,
特朗普称，特别检察官的调查从一开始就不合法，
the product of partisan bureaucrats hell-bent on nullifying his election
是党派官僚们执意废除他的当选资格的产物，
and willing to stoop to nefarious tactics to frame the President’s team and cover up the crimes of Barack Obama and the Clintons.
甘愿自降身份，使用邪恶的策略来陷害总统的团队，掩盖奥巴马和克林顿夫妇的罪行。
The President paints the probe as an unconstitutional distraction that has dragged on and turned up nothing, while casting a pall over his achievements.
据总统描述，此次调查是一场违宪的干扰举措，耗时耗力却是竹篮打水一场空，反倒给穆勒的政绩蒙上了一层阴影。
译文由可可原创，仅供学习交流使用，未经许可请勿转载。
