即将出任参议院财政委员会民主党主席的参议员罗恩·怀登周一在国会山向记者表示，与已故金融家杰弗里·爱泼斯坦有关联的三家华尔街大银行，将成为该委员会在民主党明年掌控参议院后的首要调查目标。
The incoming Democratic chairman of the Senate Finance Committee signaled three major banks with ties to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein would be top investigative targets for the panel when his party takes control next year.
怀登说：“我们有三家华尔街银行，如果它们什么都不做，只是多年来遵守法律，我们本可以彻底阻止爱泼斯坦。”
“We’ve got three Wall Street banks who if they had done nothing, nothing except follow the law for years on end, we could’ve stopped Epstein cold,” Senator Ron Wyden told reporters at the Capitol on Monday.
虽然怀登周一在评论中未点名这三家银行，但他此前发布的一份报告结论认为，美国银行、摩根大通和德意志银行助长了爱泼斯坦的非法活动。爱泼斯坦因性贩运罪被捕后，于2019年在纽约一所监狱的牢房内死亡。
Though Wyden didn’t identify the banks in his comments Monday, he previously released a report concluding Bank of America Corp., JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Deutsche Bank AG enabled Epstein’s illegal activities. Epstein died in a New York jail cell in 2019 following his arrest for sex trafficking.
这三家银行未立即回应置评请求。摩根大通曾表示后悔与爱泼斯坦有过业务往来。德意志银行此前曾表示已采取措施改进内控，但未承认有不当行为。美国银行同样未承认有不当行为，并称该行未协助性贩运犯罪。怀登还将大型保险公司和制药公司列为审查重点。
The three banks did not immediately respond to requests for comment. JPMorgan has said it regretted its association with Epstein. Deutsche Bank has previously said it’s taken steps to improve its controls, while not admitting to wrongdoing. Bank of America also has not admitted to wrongdoing and has said the bank did not facilitate sex trafficking crimes. Wyden also identified big insurance and pharmaceutical companies as priorities for scrutiny.
这位来自俄勒冈州的民主党人勾勒了委员会涵盖税收、贸易和医疗等事务的广泛议程。其中包括努力组建两党联盟，废除唐纳德·特朗普总统不得人心的关税。
The Oregon Democrat laid out a broad agenda for the panel including tax, trade and health matters. That includes an effort to put together a bipartisan coalition to roll back President Donald Trump’s unpopular tariffs.
但特朗普仍掌控白宫，并拥有对所有立法的否决权，因此国会民主党人或许最适合行使调查权。怀登暗示，爱泼斯坦与金融业的关联在其潜在调查清单上名列前茅。
But with Trump still in the White House and armed with veto power over all legislation, congressional Democrats may be best positioned to wield investigative authority. And Wyden suggested Epstein’s ties to the financial industry are high on his list for potential probes.
明年，财政委员会的民主党人将拥有国会传票权，可强制要求作证和提交文件。
Democrats on the Finance committee next year will have congressional subpoena authority to compel testimony and document production.
国会监督给企业带来声誉受损的风险，尤其是当高管被传唤到委员会作证时。1994年烟草高管就尼古丁和成瘾问题作证后，面临漫长的伪证调查。最近，几位常春藤盟校大学校长在2023年一场关于加沙学生抗议的争议性听证会后辞职。
Congressional oversight carries the risk of reputational damage for firms, especially for executives hauled before committees to testify. Tobacco executives faced lengthy perjury investigations following 1994 testimony on nicotine and addiction. More recently, several presidents of Ivy League Universities resigned following a contentious 2023 hearing on student protests over Gaza.
怀登还表示，他将与共和党人合作终止特朗普的关税制度，这是未来两年潜在两党合作的领域，即使总统拥有立法否决权。
Wyden also said he would work with Republicans to end Trump’s tariff regime, an area ripe for potential bipartisan collaboration in the next two years even with the president’s veto power over legislation.
“我们将非常努力地推动建立一个能够应对否决的联盟，”他说，特别指的是特朗普对加拿大征收的关税。
“We’re going to push, you know, very hard to build a coalition that can handle a veto,” he said, referring specifically to tariffs Trump imposed on Canada.