FBI局長帕特爾為「獸交」聘用標準變更辯護，議員要求說明

作者：丹・羅森茲威格-齊夫By Dan Rosenzweig-Ziff

華盛頓9月15日（路透）——美國聯邦調查局（FBI）局長卡什・帕特爾週二告訴國會議員，他調整FBI聘用標準，取消將獸交列為自動取消資格的條件，是因為他不想讓遭強迫與動物發生性行為的人口販運受害者被排除在外。這番說法引來共和、民主兩黨人士同樣難以置信的反應。WASHINGTON, Sept 15 (Reuters) - FBI Director Kash Patel told lawmakers on Tuesday he changed the bureau's hiring standards to eliminate bestiality as an automatic disqualifier because he did not want to bar trafficking victims who had been forced to have sex with animals, drawing an incredulous response from Republicans and Democrats alike.

帕特爾在美國參議院司法委員會作證時回答一項提問說：「我們不想懲罰獸交的受害者、遭販運的受害者。」"We did not want to punish victims of bestiality, victims who were trafficked," Patel said in response to one question during his testimony before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee.

帕特爾稍後表示，先前規定會取消「任何參與其中任一方」人士的資格。Patel later said that previous regulations disqualified "any individual who participated on either side of it."

共和黨籍參議員約翰・甘迺迪問：「任一方是指什麼，獸交嗎？所以你們會取消動物的資格？」"Either side of what, the bestiality?" Senator John Kennedy, a Republican, asked. "So you disqualified the animal?"

帕特爾笑著說：「我們有很優秀的警犬，但我們不會取消牠們的資格。」"We have great canines, but we're not going to disqualify them," Patel said, laughing.

這場監督聽證會歷時超過4小時，是帕特爾自5月以來首次到參議院出席聽證。他也面臨有關其機關處理已故金融家暨性犯罪者傑佛瑞・艾普斯坦相關檔案、動用納稅人資金進行私人旅行，以及他被指將FBI政治化等問題。In a more than four-hour oversight hearing, his first appearance before the Senate since May, Patel also faced questions about his agency's handling of files related to the late financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, the use of taxpayer funds for personal travel and allegations that he has politicized the FBI.

不過，最受矚目的幾項提問，來自他修訂後的聘用標準。But it was his revised hiring standards that drew some of the most noteworthy questions.

甘迺迪在指出有意成為FBI探員的人可能會想知道自己的政治觀點是否重要後問：「你為什麼連獸交都要談進來？」帕特爾表示，有人告訴他，一些被迫涉及獸交的人口販運受害者，過去曾因此被取消就業資格。"Why would you even get into bestiality?" Kennedy asked, after noting that prospective FBI agents may be wondering if their political point of view matters. Patel said he was told that some trafficking victims forced into bestiality had been previously disqualified from jobs.

甘迺迪問：「但你今天不是在告訴我們，如果有人類和動物發生性行為，他們仍然可以當FBI探員吧？」帕特爾說不是。"But you're not telling us today that if a human being had sex with an animal, they can still be an FBI agent?" Kennedy asked. Patel said no.

共和黨人詢問帕特爾，FBI針對先前一項聯邦調查所展開的偵查。該項先前調查涉及共和黨籍總統唐納・川普企圖推翻他在2020年總統大選中敗給民主黨人喬・拜登的結果；共和黨籍委員會主席、參議員查克・葛拉斯里稱此議題是該委員會的首要事項。Republicans asked Patel about the FBI's probes into a prior federal investigation of Republican President Donald Trump's attempts to overturn his loss to Democrat Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election, an issue Republican committee chair Senator Chuck Grassley has called a top priority for the panel.

週二這場聽證登場前，檢察官喬・迪吉諾瓦上週突然辭職；他先前主導司法部一項調查，試圖證明川普是刑事陰謀的受害者。Tuesday's appearance came after prosecutor Joe DiGenova, who had been leading a Justice Department investigation that sought to show that Trump was the victim of a criminal conspiracy, abruptly resigned last week.

FBI與選舉FBI AND ELECTIONS

帕特爾似乎證實媒體報導，指12名FBI伊朗問題專家今年因涉嫌「武器化」作為而遭開除，亦即他們曾參與調查川普涉嫌留存機密文件一案。Patel appeared to confirm media reports that a dozen FBI Iran experts were fired this year because of their alleged "weaponization" efforts, namely that they were part of the investigation into Trump's alleged retention of classified documents.

帕特爾說：「我認為最重要的是，不要讓FBI被武器化。我每天都會努力確保FBI內部沒有任何人在做這種事。」"I think what's most important is to not have a weaponized FBI," Patel said. "I will endeavor every single day to make sure we have no one there that is doing that."

由川普任命的帕特爾，自接掌FBI以來一直備受爭議。媒體報導他在珍珠港紀念地潛水，以及在米蘭冬季奧運與奪得金牌的美國男子冰球隊慶祝時喝啤酒，都引發批評。Patel, a Trump appointee, has been a subject of controversy since he took over as head of the FBI. He drew criticism over media reports about him scuba diving at a Pearl Harbor memorial, and for drinking beer while celebrating with the gold-medal-winning U.S. men's hockey team at the Milan Winter Olympics.

他也因使用政府飛機與豪華汽車，以及川普政府對記者及其消息來源展開調查而受到檢視。He has also faced scrutiny over his use of a government plane and luxury cars, and Trump administration investigations into journalists and their sources.

帕特爾在聽證會前公布的一封信中表示，他已償還私人旅行費用，並稱那些豪華汽車比FBI過去購買的其他車輛更便宜。Patel said in a letter released ahead of the hearing that he has reimbursed personal travel expenses and said the luxury cars were cheaper than others the FBI has previously bought.

面對民主黨人就其個人行為提出質詢，帕特爾愈來愈不耐煩，其中包括問參議員彼得・威爾奇是否聽力不好。Patel grew increasingly frustrated with Democrats who questioned him over his personal conduct, including asking Senator Peter Welch if he was hard of hearing.

威爾奇詢問，FBI資源是否曾被用來調查一名《大西洋》雜誌記者；該名記者曾撰文談及帕特爾被指過度飲酒。帕特爾對威爾奇說：「每個人都看清楚你是個徹頭徹尾的騙子。」"Everyone sees you for the complete and total fraud you are," Patel told Welch, who was asking whether FBI resources had been used to investigate an Atlantic magazine journalist who had written about Patel's alleged excessive drinking.

帕特爾也表示，FBI將透過各地外勤辦公室監控期中選舉，但他告訴明尼蘇達州民主黨籍參議員艾米・克羅布查，他會遵守禁止探員在選舉日部署於投票所內的法律。Patel also said the FBI would monitor the midterm elections from its field offices but told Senator Amy Klobuchar, a Minnesota Democrat, he would follow the law that bars agents from being deployed inside polling places on Election Day.

但帕特爾稍後拒絕承諾不會干預選舉。But Patel later refused to pledge that he would not interfere in the election.

帕特爾說：「我明確承諾，我不會參與你們這場充滿謊言的鬧劇。」"I pledge unequivocally that I will not participate in your charade of lies," Patel said.

（丹・羅森茲威格-齊夫報導；安迪・沙利文、威爾・鄧納姆、比爾・伯克羅特與辛西亞・奧斯特曼編輯）(Reporting by Dan Rosenzweig-Ziff; Editing by Andy Sullivan, Will Dunham, Bill Berkrot and Cynthia Osterman)