那些认为美国共和国摇摇欲坠的人会说两个词：唐纳德•特朗普(Donald Trump)。对此也有两个词的回应：罗伯特•米勒(Robert Mueller)。只要米勒在职，就说明美国的体系在正常运转。应该肯定的是，特朗普政府任命了这位一根筋的联邦调查局(FBI)前局长为特别检察官。如果从如何回应高层涉嫌犯罪来评判一国的政治，那么美国的做法堪称教科书。用其传记作家的话来说，米勒是“美国最笔直的那枝箭”。他受托维护体系的完整。
Yet the temptation for Mr Trump to fire him grows by the day. It would be hard to think of anyone more inoculated against a smear campaign than Mr Mueller. Unlike many of his detractors, he fought in the Vietnam war. He was wounded but voluntarily returned to lead his platoon in combat. He won several medals, including a Purple Heart. At the FBI he oversaw the largest mafia investigation in history, which ended with the conviction of John Gotti, head of the powerful Gambino family. A registered Republican, he was appointed to head the FBI by George W Bush — a job he began one week before the 11 September attacks.
然而，特朗普炒掉米勒的冲动与日俱增。很难想象有比米勒更难抹黑的人了。与许多诋毁者不同，他参加过越战。他受了伤，但自愿返回战场继续领导他的排。他获得了多枚勋章，包括一枚紫心勋章(Purple Heart)。在联邦调查局，他对黑帮展开了史上最大规模的调查，最终导致势力极大的甘比诺(Gambino)家族首脑约翰•戈蒂(John Gotti)被定罪。作为一名注册共和党人，他被乔治•W•布什(George W Bush)任命为联邦调查局局长——他在9/11恐怖袭击事件发生一周前走马上任。
Such a record tells you two things. Mr Mueller is an all-American hero and he will not be intimidated. He cuts the kind of figure Mr Trump normally admires — a tall, square-jawed, patriot straight from central casting. That, of course, is why Mr Trump wants to sack him. Mr Mueller has that zealous G-man quality that sends shivers down White House spines. Whatever Mr Mueller’s investigation turns up — anyone who thinks they know where it will end is bluffing — the process is unflinching. Ask Paul Manafort, Mr Trump’s former campaign manager, who was marched into court on Monday to hear 12 criminal counts against him. Or George Papadopoulos, Mr Trump’s former campaign adviser, who has pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI. Here is a public servant who actually believes in public service.
这样的记录告诉你两件事。一是米勒是一位纯正的美国英雄;二是他不会被吓倒。他是特朗普通常会敬佩的那种英雄——魁梧高大、有着方下巴的爱国者，仿佛出自标准模子。而这当然是特朗普想要炒掉他的原因。米勒拥有那种热诚探员的品质，这让白宫不寒而栗。无论米勒的调查结果如何——任何认为自己知道结果的人都是在吹牛——目前的调查进程是势不可挡的。问问特朗普前竞选经理保罗•马纳福特(Paul Manafort)吧，他在近日出庭听取对他的12项犯罪指控。或者问问特朗普前竞选顾问乔治•帕帕多普洛斯(George Papadopoulos)，他已承认向FBI撒了谎。米勒是一位真心相信公共服务的公职人员。
Such virtues are normally celebrated by patriots. They are also what make it so hard to bring Mr Mueller down. The pro-Trump media are nevertheless trying to do just that. From Fox News to the Wall Street Journal, the goal is to pave the way for Mr Mueller’s dismissal by casting doubt on his objectivity. Their case rests on two thin reeds. The first is that Barack Obama asked Mr Mueller to extend his FBI tenure for the first two years of his presidency. That meant Mr Mueller was one of the nine agency heads, along with Hillary Clinton, who oversaw the clearance of the sale of a Canadian uranium mining company to a Russian one. Neither personally approved the transaction. Yet this notional overlap is exhibit A in the appearance of collusion between Mr Mueller and Mrs Clinton.
此类品行通常受到爱国者的赞扬。这也是很难让米勒下台的原因。然而，支持特朗普的媒体正在努力搞掉米勒。从福克斯新闻(Fox News)到《华尔街日报》(Wall Street Journal)，这些媒体的目的是让人们怀疑米勒的客观性，从而为其免职铺平道路。他们的主张建立在两个莫须有的指控之上。第一个是巴拉克•奥巴马(Barack Obama)曾经请求米勒在其总统任期的最初两年继续任职。这意味着米勒是和希拉里•克林顿(Hillary Clinton)一起、批准一家加拿大铀矿公司被俄罗斯的一家铀矿公司收购的9个政府部门主管之一。这两人都没有亲自批准该交易。然而，这种臆想的交集被当作米勒和希拉里勾结的头号证据。
The second is that Mr Mueller worked for a law firm that included several partners who gave money to the Democrats. Mr Mueller did not. Unlike the president, Mr Mueller is a life-long Republican. Mr Trump donated to both parties on many occasions. Should such standards apply, few prosecutors would make the grade. That is the sum of Mr Mueller’s alleged conflicts of interest. There is nothing there. But the campaign to tarnish his credentials is now the priority.
第二个莫须有指控是米勒曾在一家律所工作，而这家律所的多名合伙人曾向民主党捐款。米勒从未这么做。与总统不同，米勒一辈子都是共和党人。特朗普曾在许多场合向两党捐款。如果要执行此类标准，没有几个检察官会达标。这就是米勒被指存在的全部利益冲突。完全是无中生有，但现在抹黑他是某些势力的工作重点。
At this point two more words are relevant: Rupert Murdoch. Whatever doubts the conservative media baron had about Mr Trump are now forgotten. Any elected Republican who departs from this script would be risking career suicide. Mr Trump claims Mr Mueller is conducting a “witch hunt” against him. Mr Murdoch’s outlets clearly agree. They are thus rekindling a parallel witch-hunt against Mrs Clinton.
说到这里，还有两个相关的词：鲁珀特•默多克(Rupert Murdoch)。无论这位立场保守的媒体大亨当初对特朗普有什么疑虑，现在都已被忘却了。假如是选举产生的共和党官员，偏离这样的脚本将面临职业自杀的风险。特朗普声称米勒正在对他进行“政治迫害”。默多克旗下的媒体机构显然认同这一点。他们因此对希拉里展开并行的政治迫害。
My bet is that on this turf Mr Mueller is wilier than either of them. He has one job — to pursue whichever leads he deems relevant to the Russia collusion inquiry. He knows how to conduct an investigation. But it is Mr Mueller’s professionalism that most endangers him. The deeper he probes, the bigger the threat to Mr Trump. As the quip goes, Mr Mueller would indict his mother if he thought she broke the law. Did Mr Trump collude with Russia? We do not know. But in the course of his job Mr Mueller is examining Mr Trump’s business record, including his taxes.
我敢说，米勒在这方面比特朗普或默多克更厉害。他只有一个任务：追查他认为与通俄案有关的无论什么线索。他知道如何展开调查。但正是米勒的专业精神最让他面临危险。他调查得越深入，对特朗普的威胁就越大。就像人们打趣说的那样，如果米勒认为自己的母亲违反了法律，他也会起诉她。特朗普与俄罗斯有勾结吗?我们不知道。但米勒在执行任务的过程中检查了特朗普的商业记录，包括税收记录。
Mr Trump has said any inquiry into his commercial history would cross a “red line”. Mr Mueller is already doing that. He is playing a bold game. People in autocracies should watch him work. This is democracy in action. Some might say that Mr Mueller is putting “America First”. Alas, those two words may get him fired.
特朗普已经表示，任何对其商业历史的调查都将逾越“红线”。米勒已经在这么做了。他在玩一个大胆的游戏。威权国家的人们应该看一看他的工作。这是民主机制在起作用的例证。一些人甚至可能会说，米勒正在让“美国优先”(America First)。可惜，这两个词可能使他被炒。
edward.luce@ft.com 译者/裴伴
