美聯儲一理事向希拉里競選陣營捐款

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.

美聯儲(Fed)主席珍妮特•耶倫(Janet Yellen)昨日被迫擋開有關美聯儲獨立性的最新質疑，這件事的導火線是美聯儲一位理事向希拉里•克林頓(Hillary Clinton)的總統競選活動捐款。

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.

來自新澤西州的共和黨衆議員斯科特•加勒特(Scott Garrett)向耶倫發起挑戰，焦點是美聯儲理事萊爾•佈雷納德(Lael Brainard)向希拉里競選活動捐款，還有一些未經證實的報道稱，佈雷納德是潛在的希拉里政府一個高級職位的候選人。

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，共和黨總統候選人唐納德•特朗普(Donald Trump)在與希拉里辯論期間聲稱，美聯儲將短期利率維持在低位是爲了幫助奧巴馬政府，並維持股市巨大、肥厚、骯髒的泡沫。

Ms Yellen has denied the Fed was doing anything to suit the White House’s political objectives.

耶倫否認美聯儲做了迎合白宮政治目標的任何事情。

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.

一些分析師辯稱，面對尖銳對立的兩黨雙方的巨大壓力，美聯儲地位脆弱，一些立法者希望對美聯儲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?

耶倫在就監管問題在衆議院金融服務委員會(House Committee on Financial Services)作證時，加勒特問道：一位美聯儲理事可以同一個政治競選陣營直接商談，謀求一個未來的職位，難道這對您來說不是利益衝突嗎？

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.

他的話指的是美國財政部前官員佈雷納德，媒體報道經常把她列爲希拉里當選後美國財政部部長的潛在候選人。

Ms Yellen said: I would have to consult my counsel.

耶倫表示：我得諮詢我的法律顧問。

I’m not aware that that’s a conflict, but I would . . . Then she was cut off by the committee chair.

我不瞭解這是否屬於利益衝突，但我會……接着她被委員會主席打斷。

Earlier, Ms Yellen said she had absolutely no awareness of Ms Brainard being in touch with the Clinton camp about a job.

早些時候，耶倫表示，她對於佈雷納德就一項職位與希拉里競選陣營聯繫一事完全不知情。

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.

在被問及佈雷納德向希拉里競選組織捐贈2700美元（這是個人在選舉週期中可以捐出的最高款項）的問題時，耶倫指出，《哈奇法》(Hatch Act)沒有禁止美聯儲理事做出政治捐贈。