国防部长皮特·赫格塞思在与民主党的又一场较量中过关，众议院共和党人本周退回了众议员托马斯·马西（共和党-肯塔基州）提出的八项弹劾条款。马西明年不会回来，但民主党人并未放过这位国防部长。明年民主党成为多数党后，赫格塞思仍是重点审查对象，甚至可能面临又一次弹劾投票。但就目前而言，这位前陆军国民警卫队少校有了一些喘息空间，还拥有一个亲密盟友斯蒂芬·米勒，后者即将接任白宫幕僚长。
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth survived another battle with Democrats when House Republicans this week sent back eight articles of impeachment brought by Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.). While Massie won’t be back next year, Democrats are not done with the Defense secretary, who remains a key target for scrutiny — and possibly another impeachment vote — once they are in the majority next year. But for now, Hegseth, a former Army National Guard major, has some breathing room and a close ally in Stephen Miller, who is taking over as chief of staff at the White House.
“引用弗里德里希·尼采的话：‘杀不死我的，使我更强大。’今晚，皮特·赫格塞思比今天下午和今天早上更强大，很大程度上是因为民主党的无能，”前特朗普竞选顾问戴维·厄本周二晚在CNN上说，并指出有11名众议院民主党人缺席了针对这位他们称之为国家安全威胁的五角大楼负责人的反对票。共和党在中期选举中落败，失去了下一届国会的众议院和参议院控制权。
“To quote Frederick Nietzsche: ‘What does not kill me makes me stronger.’ Tonight, Pete Hegseth is stronger than he was this afternoon and this morning, largely because of Democrat incompetence,” former Trump campaign adviser David Urban said Tuesday night on CNN, pointing to 11 House Democrats who missed the vote against a Pentagon chief they have called a threat to national security. Following the GOP’s midterm defeats, where they lost control of the House and Senate in the next Congress, some Hegseth critics within the administration blamed him for pushing Trump into a war against Iran, a conflict that contributed to the election drubbing.
此后，政府内部一些批评赫格塞思的人指责他推动特朗普对伊朗开战，这场冲突导致了选举惨败。《国会山报》此前报道，特朗普上周向盟友和顾问询问了赫格塞思的处境。但总统公开支持这位国防部长，称赞他在清除“觉醒”将军方面做得“很棒”。周三在阿灵顿国家公墓举行的退伍军人节纪念活动上，特朗普再次称赞赫格塞思，引发现场人群鼓掌欢呼。
Trump was asking allies and advisers last week about Hegseth’s standing, The Hill previously reported. But the president publicly stood by the Defense secretary, praising him for doing a “great job” in getting rid of “woke” generals. He again praised Hegseth on Wednesday during the Veterans Day observance at Arlington National Cemetery, prompting applause and cheering among the crowd.
“我就知道会这样，”特朗普谈到现场反应时说。“他做得非常出色，他爱你们，保护你们。他一切为了你们。”众议院民主党人似乎对今后如何处理赫格塞思存在分歧。一些人正推动领导层对这位国防部长提出弹劾条款，他们认为赫格塞思不具备担任该职位的资格。
“I had a feeling that was going to happen,” Trump said of the reaction. “He’s done a fantastic job and he loves you and protects you. He’s all about you.”House Democrats appear somewhat divided over how to handle Hegseth moving forward. Some are pushing leadership to bring impeachment articles against the Defense secretary, who they argue is unqualified for the role.
另一些人则更为谨慎。众议院拨款委员会国防小组委员会首席民主党议员、明尼苏达州民主党众议员贝蒂·麦科勒姆周二晚间在一份声明中说：“作为国防部长，他用自己的混乱和严重无能让美国变得更不安全。共和党人拒绝捍卫我们的宪法和法治，这令人厌恶。”“当民主党人在第120届国会成为多数党时，我们将追究赫格塞思部长的非法行为。”
Others are more cautious. “As Secretary of Defense, he has made America less safe through his chaos and gross incompetence. Republicans' refusal to stand up for our Constitution and the rule of law is disgusting,” Rep. Betty McCollum (D-Minn.), top Democrat of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, said in a statement late Tuesday. “When Democrats take the majority in the 120th Congress, we will hold Secretary Hegseth accountable for his illegal actions.”
据《Punchbowl News》报道，即将出任众议院军事委员会主席的华盛顿州民主党众议员亚当·史密斯周三说：“我们需要认真、深入地审视什么才是合理的。”“我认为赫格塞思犯下了可弹劾的罪行。我认为他应该被免职，（但）我们实现更广泛目标的最佳方式是什么？”众议院少数党领袖、纽约州民主党人哈基姆·杰弗里斯已表示，史密斯将是在明年任何赫格塞思弹劾程序中负责主导的领导人之一。
“We need to take a long, hard look at what makes sense,” Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.), the incoming House Armed Services Committee chair, said Wednesday, according to Punchbowl News. “I think Hegseth has committed impeachable offenses. I think he should be removed, [but] what’s our best approach to achieve our broader objectives?”House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) has signaled that Smith would be one of the leaders in charge of any Hegseth impeachment proceedings next year.
总统决定撤换苏西·怀尔斯并任命米勒为白宫幕僚长，这对赫格塞思未来几个月来说可能是个好兆头。据四位了解相关动态的消息人士称，米勒被视为赫格塞思在白宫内的盟友之一，两人关系“非常好”且“密切”。一位美国官员就米勒被任命为幕僚长一事对《国会山报》说，对赫格塞思来说，“这再好不过了”。两人住在同一个军事基地，他们的妻子凯蒂·米勒和珍妮弗·赫格塞思是朋友。
The president’s decision to remove Susie Wiles and install Miller as White House chief of staff likely bodes well for Hegseth in the months ahead. Miller is seen as one of Hegseth’s allies in the White House, and the two have a “very good” and “close” relationship, according to four sources familiar with the dynamics. “This couldn’t be any better” for Hegseth, one U.S. official told The Hill regarding Miller’s appointment as chief of staff. The two live on the same military base and their wives, Katie Miller and Jennifer Hegseth, are friends.
据一位五角大楼高级官员称，在美国对拉丁美洲的政策上，两人立场一致。一位政府高级官员说，自特朗普第二任期开始以来，赫格塞思和米勒一直“极其亲密”，他们的合作在帮助确保美墨边境安全、向美国城市部署国民警卫队以及在美国……方面发挥了“关键作用”。
And they are on the same page when it comes to U.S. policy on Latin America, according to a senior Pentagon official. A senior administration official said Hegseth and Miller have been “extremely close” since the start of Trump’s second term, and their partnership has been “instrumental” in helping secure the U.S.-Mexico border, deploying National Guard troops to American cities and in the U.S. military lethal campaignagainst alleged drug-trafficking boats in theCaribbean and Eastern Pacific.
军事部门对加勒比海和东太平洋涉嫌贩毒船只发起了致命打击行动。“这一切完成的速度和效力是前所未有的，”这位资深政府官员说。“我认为在未来几个月里，你们将继续看到他们在总统的优先事项上，以及不仅限于此，是多么步调一致。”
“The speed and effectiveness of this all getting done were unprecedented,” the senior administration official said. “And I think you’ll continue to see how lockstep they are in the coming months and not just with the president’s priorities.”
海格塞斯在米勒晋升后称他是“令人难以置信的美国爱国者和五角大楼的好朋友”。“战争部没有比斯蒂芬·米勒更好的朋友和倡导者了，”国防部长在给《国会山报》的一份声明中表示，使用了政府偏好的“国防部”称呼。
Hegseth has called Miller an “incredible American patriot and a great friend” of the Pentagon after his promotion. “The Department of War has no better friend and advocate than Stephen Miller,” the Defense secretary said in a statement to The Hill, using the administration’s preferred name for the Department of Defense.
众议员科里·米尔斯（共和党-佛罗里达州），海格塞斯的盟友，众议院军事委员会成员，表示他不确定民主党人是否会再次尝试弹劾海格塞斯。“海格塞斯部长是一名战士。他自己曾身穿军装服役，明白什么是真正的领袖。而在许多情况下，这会让民主党人感到畏惧，”米尔斯在周三接受《国会山报》电话采访时表示，他已在连任竞选中落败。
Rep. Cory Mills (R-Fla.), a Hegseth ally who sits on the House Armed Services Committee, said he wasn’t sure if Democrats would make another run at impeaching Hegseth. “Secretary Hegseth is a warrior. He served himself in uniform, and he understands what it is to be a true leader. And that, in many cases, will intimidate Democrats,” said Mills, who lost his reelection race, in a phone interview with The Hill on Wednesday.
“那么，当他们在明年1月以庞大多数重返第120届国会众议院，或凭借他们在参议院的多数优势时，这会是他们最后一次尝试发起此类行动吗？我不太确定。”
“And so will this be the last time that they try and make such an attempt with the large majority they will come in to the House at the 120th [Congress] or with their majority in the Senate? I'm not so sure.”
在投票前夕，海格塞斯及其助手嘲笑了马西的弹劾攻势。如果民主党人在明年1月重夺多数席位后试图弹劾国防部长，他的团队很可能会重施故技。
Hegseth and his aides ridiculed Massie’s impeachment salvo in the lead-up to the vote. And his team is likely to repeat the tactic if Democrats try to impeach the defense secretary once they regain majorities in January.
如果众议院在下一届国会确实将弹劾条款提交参议院，民主党人将需要说服参议院中的几名共和党人倒戈才能定罪。
If the House does send impeachment articles to the Senate in the next Congress, Democrats would need to peel off a few Republicans in the upper chamber for a conviction.
白宫周二晚表示，此次投票是一场“大获全胜”，并称特朗普及其团队不会允许民主党人和国会中“心怀不满”的成员“抹黑和贬低”像海格塞斯这样的“美国爱国者”。
The White House said Tuesday night's vote was a “massive victory” and that Trump and his team will not allow Democrats and “disgruntled” members of Congress to “ smear and demean an American patriot” like Hegseth.