獨家：共和黨放眼2028年，魯比歐警告高層幕僚避免利益衝突

作者：葛蘭・史拉特里（Gram Slattery）、胡梅拉・帕穆克（Humeyra Pamuk）與強納森・蘭迪（Jonathan Landay）By Gram Slattery, Humeyra Pamuk and Jonathan Landay

華盛頓，11月7日（路透社）——4名知情人士表示，美國國務卿馬可・魯比歐已著手加強對國務院的掌控，告訴高階官員，員工必須恪守職責範圍，並避免採取會構成利益衝突的行動。WASHINGTON, Nov 7 (Reuters) - US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has moved to tighten control over the State Department, telling senior officials that staff must stay in their lanes and avoid actions that present conflicts of interest, four people familiar with the matter said.

魯比歐是在上週一場會議中傳達這項訊息；那是在共和黨週二選舉失利之前。此際，共和黨主要人物目前正跟民意支持度持續下滑的川普政府保持距離Rubio's message, delivered in a meeting last week before the Republican Party's electoral losses on Tuesday, comes as its leading figures attempt to put distance between themselves and an increasingly unpopular Trump administration.

這場會議之前，美國駐希臘大使金柏莉・吉爾福伊爾（Kimberly Guilfoyle）在10月中旬高調辭職。此前新聞報導引發疑慮，稱她以接觸川普政府官員的管道換取金錢、禮物與好處。The meeting followed the high-profile resignation of US Ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle in mid-October after news reports raised concerns that she sold access ‌to Trump administration officials in exchange for money, gifts and favors.

吉爾福伊爾稱這些報導不實，並在社群媒體發文表示，她將捍衛自己的名譽。Guilfoyle has called the reports false and in a post on social media said she would defend her reputation.

其中一名知情人士表示，魯比歐在會中說，不道德行為將導致解職，不論該名官員人脈多深；與會者包括約24名助理國務卿中的許多人。Rubio told the meeting, which included many of the roughly two dozen assistant secretaries of state, that unethical behavior would result in a firing, regardless of how well-connected an official might be, said one of the people.

這些匿名受訪人士表示，魯比歐還說，有太多官員在未經協調的情況下做決定或推動政策議程，重大決策需要由他或副國務卿克里斯多福・蘭道（Christopher Landau）簽核。這場會議的細節先前未曾被報導。He added that too many officials were making decisions or pushing policy agendas without coordinating and that significant decisions required his signoff or that of Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau, according to the people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. Details of the meeting have not previously been reported.

國務院拒絕評論這場會議。The State Department declined to comment on the meeting.

其中3名人士表示，會議後不久，國務院政策主管傑瑞米・盧因（Jeremy Lewin）被迫離職，部分原因是外界擔心他在未經適當協調的情況下，處理職責範圍以外的事務。這些疑慮的確切細節仍不清楚。Soon after the meeting, three of the people said, the State Department's policy chief, Jeremy Lewin, was forced out of his job in part due to concerns that he was working on matters outside his area without proper coordination. The exact details of those concerns remain unclear.

向路透社透露消息的人士中，沒有人表示盧因離職與任何道德不當事件有關。盧因是以伊隆・馬斯克（Elon Musk）的政府效率部（Department of Government Efficiency）成員身分加入政府，並協助拆解負責監督美國對外援助的美國國際開發總署（US Agency for International Development）。None of the people who spoke to Reuters suggested Lewin’s departure was linked to any incidents of ethical misconduct. Lewin joined the government as part of Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency and helped dismantle the US Agency for International Development, which oversaw US foreign assistance.

其中一名人士表示，魯比歐及國務院領導層內其他人對他的「自行其是」以及違反「國務卿某些指示」感到不滿，但未提供具體例子。Rubio and others within the State Department leadership were frustrated with his "freelancing" and going against "certain directives from the Secretary," one of the people said, without providing specific examples.

盧因在兩個多月前才被任命到這個高階職位。他上月在社群媒體表示，自己已卸下職務，返回民間部門。Lewin, who was appointed to his senior role just over two months ago, said on social media last month that he had stepped down from his role to return to the private sector.

被問及回應時，一名國務院官員說：「雙方同意，（盧因）是時候離開了。」Asked for comment, a State Department official said: "It was mutually agreed it was time (for Lewin) to move on."

盧因在給路透社的聲明中表示，他的離職在宣布前數週就已安排好，並否認自己遭到開除。Lewin said in a statement to Reuters that his departure was planned several weeks before it was announced and he denied he was fired.

他說：「關於我遭到開除的說法並不屬實。如同數週來與國務卿及其團隊所規劃的，在我為完成關鍵專案而停留得比預期更久之後，我已在期中選舉前辭去職務，以接任民間部門職位並籌備我的婚禮。」"The suggestion that I was fired is false. As planned for weeks with the Secretary and his team, after staying longer than expected to finish key projects, I resigned my position prior to the midterms to assume a private sector role and plan my wedding," he said.

「這與任何會議或有關國務院管理的政策無關。」"It had nothing to do with any meeting or policy regarding the management of the department."

另一名知情人士表示，魯比歐的不滿也包括政治任命人員過度出國差旅；這已導致所有政治任命人員的出差都必須由魯比歐辦公室核准。Rubio's frustrations also included excessive overseas travel by political staff, which has led to a requirement that Rubio's office approve all political travel, according to another one of the people.

共和黨放眼期中選舉失利之後REPUBLICANS LOOK BEYOND MIDTERM LOSSES

週二期中選舉讓民主黨取得國會控制權後，2028年總統大選幾乎立即開始升溫。副總統JD・范斯（JD Vance）與共和黨參議員泰德・克魯茲（Ted Cruz）在X上發表選後檢討，許多策略人士認為，隨著選戰季開跑，這些內容形同政治願景聲明。The 2028 presidential race began shifting into gear almost immediately after Tuesday's midterm elections delivered control of Congress to the Democrats. Vice President JD Vance and Republican Senator Ted Cruz offered post-mortems on X that many strategists saw as political vision statements as the campaign season begins.

魯比歐本人一直試圖淡化有關他正考慮參選的報導，但他也未公開排除參選可能。如果他參選，他對國務院的管理可能會成為競選過程中的討論話題。Rubio himself has sought to play down reports that he is considering a run, but he has also not publicly ruled it out. If he does, his management of the State Department could emerge as a topic of conversation on the campaign trail.

唐納・川普（Donald Trump）總統的政府持續面臨圖利自身的指控；民主黨人表示，他們將在1月掌控國會並開始展開正式調查時，嚴格檢視川普幕僚與外國官員之間的往來。President Donald Trump's administration has faced consistent accusations of self-dealing and Democrats have said they will put dealings between Trump aides and foreign officials under the microscope when they take control of Congress in January and begin launching official investigations.

川普政府否認圖利自身的指控。The Trump administration has denied allegations of self-dealing.

多家媒體報導，吉爾福伊爾10月離開政府後不久，魯比歐向國務院全體發出備忘錄，提醒外交官「避免利益衝突」。Shortly after Guilfoyle left the administration in October, Rubio sent a department-wide memo reminding diplomats to "avoid conflicts of interest," according to multiple media outlets.

他隨後否認該備忘錄是因吉爾福伊爾離職而發出，告訴記者他其實數週前就有意發出，只是因官僚程序原因而延宕。He subsequently denied that the memo was sent as a result of Guilfoyle's departure, telling reporters that he had in fact meant to send it weeks earlier, but that it had been held up for bureaucratic reasons.

和川普政府其他部門一樣，魯比歐領導的部門近期也有官員離職。Like other parts of the Trump administration, Rubio's department has lost officials recently.

10月，美國全球夥伴關係特別代表保羅・贊波利（Paolo Zampolli）遭到解職。此前Politico報導了他與蘭道之間的一串電子郵件往來；在信中，蘭道指責贊波利在文化外交這一「職責範圍」之外工作，稱贊波利不斷想處理其職權以外的議題，違反蘭道的命令。In October, US Special Representative for Global Partnerships Paolo Zampolli was fired after Politico reported an email thread between him and Landau, in which Landau accused Zampolli of working outside his "lane" of cultural diplomacy, saying Zampolli kept wanting to work on issues outside his remit in contravention of Landau's orders.

路透社無法確認這些議題為何。Reuters could not determine what those issues were.

贊波利離職後不久在X上寫道，特使任命依法任期為一年，而川普已將他的任命延長超過6個月。Shortly after his departure, Zampolli wrote on X that special envoy appointments last one year by statute and that Trump had extended his appointment by more than six months.

（葛蘭・史拉特里、胡梅拉・帕穆克與強納森・蘭迪報導；唐・德菲與桑吉夫・米格拉尼編輯）(Reporting by Gram Slattery, Humeyra Pamuk and Jonathan Landay; Editing by Don Durfee and Sanjeev Miglani)