2006年VOA标准英语-Lobbyist's Guilty Plea Sends Shock Waves T

By Dan Robinson
Capitol Hill
04 January 2006

Although most members of Congress are still away from Washington on a lengthy¹ break, repercussions² of the scandal involving former lobbyist Jack³ Abramoff are already being felt on Capitol Hill.  Mr. Abramoff's agreement as part of a plea bargain to provide information about his activities, is causing a great deal of anxiety and has prompted many lawmakers to return money from or linked to him.

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Jack Abramoff leaves Federal Court in Washington DC
  

As Mr. Abramoff entered guilty pleas on conspiracy⁴, fraud and tax evasion⁵ charges in a federal court in Washington, and later in a Florida court, shockwaves were spreading through Congress.

In the months leading up to Mr. Abramoff's court appearances, lawmakers were bracing⁶ for the impact, and some two dozen returned money they had received from the former lobbyist or his clients, who included Native American groups.

Among the latest to do so was Republican House Speaker, Dennis Hastert, who announced he would donate $69,000 received from Mr. Abramoff to charity.

Similar announcements came from the former House Majority Leader, Tom DeLay, and Congressman⁷ Roy Blunt, the Republican acting⁸ as temporary House leader while Mr. DeLay fights criminal charges related to campaign financing.

Republican Congressman Bob Ney, who is among at least half a dozen, but possibly as many as 20 members of Congress believed to be the focus of the federal corruption⁹ probe, also announced he would return funds.

Also on Wednesday, President Bush's 2004 re-election campaign announced it is donating to charity $6,000 in contributions connected to Mr. Abramoff.

In announcing that decision, White House Spokesman Scott McClellan stressed that Mr. Abramoff's activities touched on Democrats¹⁰ as well as Republicans.

"I think we are taking the appropriate steps in terms of this individual, [it is] similar to what we have done with previous individuals that may have been involved in wrongdoing that have contributed money too," he said.  "And I think in terms of others making those decisions, it is up to them, but there are certainly people on both sides of the [political] aisle¹¹ that ought to take a look at that."

The federal corruption probe involving Mr. Abramoff has sparked calls in both chambers¹² of Congress for a new push to reform laws relating to lobbying.

Efforts have been underway in the Senate and the House to do just that.  Speaking in a telephone news conference, Democratic Senator Russ Feingold says lawmakers were aware for some time that the Abramoff affair would highlight the need for changes.

"It is typically the shame factor or the fear factor [when] members of Congress realize that this is hurting their reputation that often leads people to be willing to change the status quo, so I think it will of course put some wind in our sails and help us get the reform that is needed," he said.

In addition to the federal probe into Mr. Abramoff's activities, Senator John McCain has been leading an investigation¹³ in a Senate committee looking at activities involving Native American tribes.

The Abramoff guilty pleas have re-focused attention on mechanisms¹⁴ Congress has to deal with corruption by lawmakers.  

However, the House of Representatives Ethics¹⁵ Committee has been virtually paralyzed over the past year amid political battles over procedure, and it is unclear how the equivalent committee in the Senate will deal with reverberations from the Abramoff matter.

With Republicans who control Congress worried about the longer-term effects of the scandal leading to mid-term elections next November, the biggest political impact may be felt in the House, which returns to work a few weeks from now.

There, Republicans must decide whether to hold a new leadership election that would formally replace Congressman DeLay whose legal troubles in Texas, and questions raised in the Abramoff investigation, could effectively rule out his return to power in Washington.

1 lengthy   

adj.漫长的，冗长的

参考例句：

• We devoted a lengthy and full discussion to this topic.我们对这个题目进行了长时间的充分讨论。
• The professor wrote a lengthy book on Napoleon.教授写了一部有关拿破仑的巨著。

2 repercussions   

n.后果，反响( repercussion的名词复数 )；余波

参考例句：

• The collapse of the company will have repercussions for the whole industry. 这家公司的垮台将会给整个行业造成间接的负面影响。
• Human acts have repercussions far beyond the frontiers of the human world. 人类行为所产生的影响远远超出人类世界的范围。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 jack   

n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克

参考例句：

• I am looking for the headphone jack.我正在找寻头戴式耳机插孔。
• He lifted the car with a jack to change the flat tyre.他用千斤顶把车顶起来换下瘪轮胎。

4 conspiracy   

n.阴谋，密谋，共谋

参考例句：

• The men were found guilty of conspiracy to murder.这些人被裁决犯有阴谋杀人罪。
• He claimed that it was all a conspiracy against him.他声称这一切都是一场针对他的阴谋。

5 evasion   

n.逃避，偷漏(税)

参考例句：

• The movie star is in prison for tax evasion.那位影星因为逃税而坐牢。
• The act was passed as a safeguard against tax evasion.这项法案旨在防止逃税行为。

6 bracing   

adj.令人振奋的

参考例句：

• The country is bracing itself for the threatened enemy invasion. 这个国家正准备奋起抵抗敌人的入侵威胁。
• The atmosphere in the new government was bracing. 新政府的气氛是令人振奋的。

7 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。

8 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

9 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。

10 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》

11 aisle   

n.（教堂、教室、戏院等里的）过道，通道

参考例句：

• The aisle was crammed with people.过道上挤满了人。
• The girl ushered me along the aisle to my seat.引座小姐带领我沿着通道到我的座位上去。

12 chambers   

n.房间( chamber的名词复数 )；（议会的）议院；卧室；会议厅

参考例句：

• The body will be removed into one of the cold storage chambers. 尸体将被移到一个冷冻间里。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Mr Chambers's readable book concentrates on the middle passage: the time Ransome spent in Russia. Chambers先生的这本值得一看的书重点在中间：Ransome在俄国的那几年。 来自互联网

13 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。

14 mechanisms   

n.机械( mechanism的名词复数 )；机械装置；[生物学] 机制；机械作用

参考例句：

• The research will provide direct insight into molecular mechanisms. 这项研究将使人能够直接地了解分子的机理。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He explained how the two mechanisms worked. 他解释这两台机械装置是如何工作的。 来自《简明英汉词典》

15 ethics   

n.伦理学；伦理观，道德标准

参考例句：

• The ethics of his profession don't permit him to do that.他的职业道德不允许他那样做。
• Personal ethics and professional ethics sometimes conflict.个人道德和职业道德有时会相互抵触。