美聯(lián)儲(chǔ)一理事向希拉里競(jìng)選陣營(yíng)捐款

　　Janet Yellen was forced to fend off new questions about the Federal Reserve’s independence yesterday sparked by donations from a Fed governor to Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign.

　　美聯(lián)儲(chǔ)(Fed)主席珍妮特•耶倫(Janet Yellen)昨日被迫擋開有關(guān)美聯(lián)儲(chǔ)獨(dú)立性的最新質(zhì)疑，這件事的導(dǎo)火線是美聯(lián)儲(chǔ)一位理事向希拉里•克林頓(Hillary Clinton)的總統(tǒng)競(jìng)選活動(dòng)捐款。

　　The Fed chair was challenged by Scott Garrett, a Republican congressman from New Jersey, over donations that Fed governor Lael Brainard has made to the Clinton campaign and over unconfirmed media reports that Ms Brainard was a contender for a senior job in a potential Clinton administration.

　　來(lái)自新澤西州的共和黨眾議員斯科特•加勒特(Scott Garrett)向耶倫發(fā)起挑戰(zhàn)，焦點(diǎn)是美聯(lián)儲(chǔ)理事萊爾•布雷納德(Lael Brainard)向希拉里競(jìng)選活動(dòng)捐款，還有一些未經(jīng)證實(shí)的報(bào)道稱，布雷納德是潛在的希拉里政府一個(gè)高級(jí)職位的候選人。

　　The exchanges came two days after Donald Trump, the Republican presidential candidate, claimed in his debate with Mrs Clinton that the Fed has been keeping short-term interest rates low to help the Obama administration and was sustaining a “big, fat, ugly bubble” in the stock market.

　　這一交鋒的兩天前，共和黨總統(tǒng)候選人唐納德•特朗普(Donald Trump)在與希拉里辯論期間聲稱，美聯(lián)儲(chǔ)將短期利率維持在低位是為了幫助奧巴馬政府，并維持股市“巨大、肥厚、骯臟的泡沫”。

　　Ms Yellen has denied the Fed was doing anything to suit the White House’s political objectives. Some analysts argue the Fed is vulnerable at a time of intense pressure from both sides of the partisan divide, however, with some lawmakers seeking to impose tighter legislative constraints on its policy freedoms.

　　耶倫否認(rèn)美聯(lián)儲(chǔ)做了迎合白宮政治目標(biāo)的任何事情。一些分析師辯稱，面對(duì)尖銳對(duì)立的兩黨雙方的巨大壓力，美聯(lián)儲(chǔ)地位脆弱，一些立法者希望對(duì)美聯(lián)儲(chǔ)的政策自由加大立法限制。

　　Mrs Yellen was testifying on regulatory matters to the House Committee on Financial Services. Mr Garrett asked: “A Fed governor can be in direct negotiations with a political campaign looking for a future job and that is not a conflict as far as you’re concerned?”

　　耶倫在就監(jiān)管問(wèn)題在眾議院金融服務(wù)委員會(huì)(House Committee on Financial Services)作證時(shí)，加勒特問(wèn)道：“一位美聯(lián)儲(chǔ)理事可以同一個(gè)政治競(jìng)選陣營(yíng)直接商談，謀求一個(gè)未來(lái)的職位，難道這對(duì)您來(lái)說(shuō)不是利益沖突嗎?”

　　His words referred to Ms Brainard, a former Treasury official who is often listed in media reports as a potential candidate to be Treasury secretary in a Clinton administration. Ms Yellen said: “I would have to consult my counsel. I’m not aware that that’s a conflict, but I would . . .” Then she was cut off by the committee chair. Earlier, Ms Yellen said she had “absolutely no awareness” of Ms Brainard being in touch with the Clinton camp about a job.

　　他的話指的是美國(guó)財(cái)政部前官員布雷納德，媒體報(bào)道經(jīng)常把她列為希拉里當(dāng)選后美國(guó)財(cái)政部部長(zhǎng)的潛在候選人。耶倫表示：“我得咨詢我的法律顧問(wèn)。我不了解這是否屬于利益沖突，但我會(huì)……”接著她被委員會(huì)主席打斷。早些時(shí)候，耶倫表示，她對(duì)于布雷納德就一項(xiàng)職位與希拉里競(jìng)選陣營(yíng)聯(lián)系一事“完全不知情”。

　　Pressed on $2,700 in donations that Ms Brainard has made to Mrs Clinton’s campaign, the maximum permitted for individual contributions in an election cycle, Ms Yellen noted that the Hatch Act does not prohibit political contributions by Fed governors.

　　在被問(wèn)及布雷納德向希拉里競(jìng)選組織捐贈(zèng)2700美元(這是個(gè)人在選舉周期中可以捐出的最高款項(xiàng))的問(wèn)題時(shí)，耶倫指出，《哈奇法》(Hatch Act)沒(méi)有禁止美聯(lián)儲(chǔ)理事做出政治捐贈(zèng)。