美国国家公共电台 NPR Trump Used To Disparage An Anti-Bribery Law; Will He Enforce It Now?

 

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

In many parts of the world, paying bribes¹ is a regular part of doing business. Here in the United States, Congress passed a law cracking down on bribery² decades ago. But President Trump³ says the law puts U.S. companies at a competitive disadvantage. And as NPR's Jim Zarroli reports, a recent study raises questions about how his administration is enforcing the law.

JIM ZARROLI, BYLINE⁴: In the 1970s, U.S. corporate⁵ bribery was a huge scandal. More than 400 corporations admitted they'd made questionable⁶ or illegal payoffs to gain business, including major companies such as Chiquita and Lockheed. Meredith McGehee is with the Campaign Legal Center.

MEREDITH MCGEHEE: What was happening was that many companies were making routine bribes to the heads of governments and others in countries just to simply buy the business.

ZARROLI: So in 1977, Congress passed the Foreign Corrupt⁷ Practices Act or FCPA, which made paying bribes illegal even if it was done in another country. The law has always had its critics. They say if U.S. companies are barred from paying bribes in places where doing so is routine, then they can't compete. And among the critics has been President Trump. Here he was in a 2012 interview on CNBC.

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PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Now every other country goes into these places, and they do what they have to do. It's a horrible law, and it should be changed. I mean, we're like the policemen for the world. It's ridiculous.

ZARROLI: Fast forward to today, and Trump administration officials, such as Attorney General Jeff Sessions, say they're committed to enforcing the law.

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JEFF SESSIONS: I think that's a law that's on the books that should be enforced. And I expect it will do so and continue to do so.

ZARROLI: But Sessions hedged his comments a bit adding...

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SESSIONS: You simply can't have a situation in which your competitors are - pay bribes, and you don't.

ZARROLI: That's a point that's been made by other U.S. officials, including some Democrats⁸. So a lot of people in the white-collar law community are watching to see how the administration enforces the law. A recent article in The New York Law Journal said there's been a decline in bribery enforcement proceedings⁹ this year by the government. Attorney Steven Witzel co-wrote the article.

STEVEN WITZEL: In general terms, there's been a dramatic drop off from the average over the previous 10 years to what we're seeing in the Trump administration.

ZARROLI: Witzel cautions that nine months into the administration is probably too early to get a sense of what its record will be. There may be good reasons for the decline having to do with the transition between the Obama and Trump administrations.

One former Justice Department lawyer says he's seen no sign the government is any less committed to the law. And the department has continued with major enforcement actions initiated¹⁰ under Obama. A Swedish company that does business in the U.S. recently paid a fine of nearly a billion dollars for paying bribes in Uzbekistan. But Witzel says it's important to monitor the way the law is enforced.

WITZEL: If there is a continued sharp decline in FCPA enforcement proceedings, that has the potential to undermine the credibility of the United States' commitment to combating international corruption¹¹.

ZARROLI: When the bribery law was passed, it was something of an outlier internationally. Today many countries no longer treat bribery as a necessary evil and often work with U.S. officials to pursue violators. President Trump may not love the law, but there's evidence it's made a difference in the effort to fight global corruption. Jim Zarroli, NPR News, New York.

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1 bribes   

n.贿赂( bribe的名词复数 )；向（某人）行贿，贿赂v.贿赂( bribe的第三人称单数 )；向（某人）行贿，贿赂

参考例句：

• It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。
• corrupt officials accepting bribes 接受贿赂的贪官污吏

2 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。

3 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。

4 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。

5 corporate   

adj.共同的，全体的；公司的，企业的

参考例句：

• This is our corporate responsibility.这是我们共同的责任。
• His corporate's life will be as short as a rabbit's tail.他的公司的寿命是兔子尾巴长不了。

6 questionable   

adj.可疑的，有问题的

参考例句：

• There are still a few questionable points in the case.这个案件还有几个疑点。
• Your argument is based on a set of questionable assumptions.你的论证建立在一套有问题的假设上。

7 corrupt   

v.贿赂，收买；adj.腐败的，贪污的

参考例句：

• The newspaper alleged the mayor's corrupt practices.那家报纸断言市长有舞弊行为。
• This judge is corrupt.这个法官贪污。

8 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》

9 proceedings   

n.进程，过程，议程；诉讼(程序)；公报

参考例句：

• He was released on bail pending committal proceedings. 他交保获释正在候审。
• to initiate legal proceedings against sb 对某人提起诉讼

10 initiated   

n. 创始人 adj. 新加入的 vt. 开始，创始，启蒙，介绍加入

参考例句：

• He has not yet been thoroughly initiated into the mysteries of computers. 他对计算机的奥秘尚未入门。
• The artist initiated the girl into the art world in France. 这个艺术家介绍这个女孩加入巴黎艺术界。

11 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。