VOA慢速英语:Obama Administration on the Defensive

President Obama this week found himself on the defensive on three different issues. Political observers say the issues could threaten his plan of action for his second term as president.
本周，奥巴马总统发现自己在三个不同的问题处于守势。政治观察家说，这些问题可能会威胁到他的第二个总统任期的行动计划。

Critics say the most serious threat right now to the Obama administration involves the federal tax agency, the Internal Revenue Service. The IRS has admitted that agency officials targeted conservative political groups which sought to become tax-exempt. Organizations that are tax-exempt do not have to pay federal taxes. The groups targeted for special attention by the IRS oppose many of the administration’s spending and tax policies.
批评人士称，目前奥巴马政府最严重的威胁的包括联邦税务机构--国税局。国税局已承认该机构有官员针对寻求免税的保守政治团体。免税的组织不必缴纳联邦税。国税局将许多反对当局的支出和税收政策的团体作为特别审查的对象。

Late Wednesday, the president announced that Treasury Secretary Jack Lew had asked for and received the resignation of the acting director of the IRS. Mr. Obama spoke after meeting with top officials to discuss a report from the Treasury Department inspector general.
周三晚些时候，总统宣布财政部大臣Jack Lew已经要求国税局代理局长递交辞呈。奥巴马先生在于高层会面讨论来自财政部监察长的报告之后发表了讲话。

“I’ve reviewed the Treasury Department watchdog's report, and the misconduct that it uncovered is inexcusable. It is inexcusable, and Americans are right to be angry about it, and I am angry about it.”
“我已经审阅了财政部监察机构的报告，它揭露的不当行为是不可原谅的。这是不可原谅的，美国人都有权生气，我对此也很生气。”

Attorney General Eric Holder has ordered a criminal investigation of the actions by the IRS. On Thursday, the president said he did not know about the abuses until they were described in news reports last week.
总检察长Eric Holder已下令针对国税局的行为展开刑事调查。周四，总统称对滥用职权事件并不知情，直到出现在新闻报道中。

The administration is also on the defensive over the Justice Department's seizure of telephone records from the Associated Press news agency. The AP said on Monday that the government secretly obtained two months of phone records for some of its reporters and editors.
当局在司法部获取美联社通话记录的问题上也处于守势。美联社周一表示，政府秘密获取一些记者和编辑两个月的通话记录。

Administration officials say the Justice Department is investigating who may have provided information for an AP story last year. The story described an American intelligence operation in Yemen that stopped an al-Qaida bomb plot.
政府官员称，司法部正在调查到底是谁泄露了中情局在也门粉碎一起基地组织炸弹阴谋的情报。

On Tuesday, reporters questioned White House Press Secretary Jay Carney about the phone records. He said President Obama supports the constitutional right of freedom of the press.
周二，记者就通话记录问题质疑了白宫新闻秘书Jay Carney。他说，奥巴马总统支持新闻自由的宪法权利。

“The president is committed to the press’s ability to pursue information, to defending the First Amendment. He is also, as a citizen and as commander-in-chief, committed to the proposition that we cannot allow classified information that can do harm to our national security interests or to endanger individuals to be leaked. And that is a balance that has to be struck.”
“总统以让新闻社追求新闻信息，捍卫宪法第一修正案为己任。他是一个公民，也作为统帅，也致力于不能让可能危害我们的国家安全利益或危及个人的保密信息被泄露。 而这种平衡必须保持。”

Attorney General Holder said he had no direct involvement in the Justice Department’s examination of the phone records. He said the seizure was part of an investigation into what he called a grave national security leak. President Obama said he makes “no apologies” for a criminal investigation into national security leaks.
司法部长Holder称，他没有直接参与司法部对通话记录的检查。他说，这是针对他所谓的国家安全严重泄漏的调查的一部分。奥巴马总统表示，他不会就这一针对国家安全泄漏的刑事调查道歉。

Also this week, the administration released 100 pages of e-mails about the attacks on the American diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya. Ambassador Chris Stephens and three other Americans died in the attacks last September 11.
同样是在本周，政府公布了有关利比亚班加西市外交使团袭击的100页电子邮件。大使Chris Stephens和其他三名美国人在去年9月11日的袭击中死亡。

Administration officials first described the events in Benghazi as a spontaneous attack, with no sign of a plot. But they later called it an act of terrorism. Republicans say the administration wanted to avoid admitting it was terrorism while Mr. Obama was seeking re-election.
政府官员首先认为班加西的袭击事件是一次自发行动，没有迹象表明这是一个阴谋。但他们随后称其为恐怖主义行动。共和党人称，当时是奥巴马寻求连任之际，政府想要避免承认这是恐怖主义。