【科普/双语】犯罪影响我当美国总统吗？
我抽烟，我喝酒，我打人，但我是个好总统。
美国前总统唐纳德·特朗普（Donald Trump）被美国司法部以37项罪名起诉，罪名为卸任后不当处理机密文件，其中部分为“绝密”，且妨碍政府部门追回。（特朗普表示他无罪）这也是首次美国前总统受到联邦诉讼。
Former President Donald Trump was indicted on 37 counts by the U.S. Justice Department for mishandling classified documents he kept after leaving office, some of which were labeled "top secret," and then obstructing the government’s efforts to recover them. (Trump has said he is innocent.) This is the first time that a former president has been indicted on federal charges.
这已经是特朗普今年的第二次刑事诉讼。2023年3月，曼哈顿的大陪审团曾调查特朗普向成人电影明星斯托米·丹尼尔斯(Stormy Daniels)支付封口费一事，并对他提起了刑事诉讼，指控他谎报封口费的用途。（如果该行为是为掩盖罪行，则会被视为重罪）特朗普同时还面临亚特兰大富尔顿县地方检察官的刑事调查。
This is also the second time in a year that Trump has been charged criminally. A Manhattan grand jury, investigating former President Donald Trump over a hush money payment to the adult film star Stormy Daniels, indicted him on criminal charges related to misstating the purpose of the payment back in March 2023. (This can be considered a felony if it is done to hide another crime.) Trump also faces criminal probes by the Fulton County district attorney in Atlanta.
根据美国联邦法规18卷第2071条，任何人若被发现持有绝密文件，不仅将面临罚款和监禁，而且还将被“剥夺在美国政府的任职资格”。
According to federal statute 18 U.S. Code § 2071, anyone found in possession of top-secret files would not only be subject to fines and jail time but would also "be disqualified from holding any office under the United States."
所以，对于准备在2024年再战总统的特朗普，这意味着什么呢？如果特朗普面临刑事诉讼，是不是他这辈子就和白宫无缘了呢？
So, what does that mean for Trump, who is running for president again in 2024? If Trump is indicted on criminal charges, wouldn't he receive a lifetime ban from the White House?
法律专家表示，还不一定。
Not so fast, say legal experts.
按照美国宪法的规定，竞选国家最高职位（也就是总统）只有两个必须满足的条件。一，必须是美国公民；二，必须年满三十五岁。所以很难说一个人到底有没有资格竞选总统，即使是罪犯也是一样。
Under the U.S. Constitution, which lays out the qualifications for holding the nation's highest office, the only limitations are you must be a U.S. citizen and at least 35 years old. It's really hard to disqualify someone from running for president, even a convicted criminal.
1. 宪法VS联邦法 The Constitution Versus Federal Law
联邦法的内容，以及定罪量刑标准都是由美国国会制定的，但最终解释权却不在国会手上。即使是已经成文几十年的法条，只要最高法院认为违反宪法，就会被推翻。
Federal laws, and the consequences for breaking them, are written by Congress, but Congress doesn't have the final word. Even a federal law that's been on the books for decades can still be struck down by the Supreme Court if it's found to be in violation of the Constitution.
美国《宪法》第2条第1款第5项明确规定了竞选总统的所需条件:
The Constitution (Article II, Section 1, Clause 5) clearly lays out the qualifications for the presidency:
任何人除出生于合众国的公民或在本宪法通过时已为合众国公民者外，不得当选为总统。凡年龄未满三十五岁，或居住合众国境内未满十四年者，不得被选为总统。
No Person except a natural born Citizen, or a Citizen of the United States, at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the Office of President; neither shall any Person be eligible to that Office who shall not have attained to the Age of thirty five Years, and been fourteen Years a Resident within the United States.
那么问题来了，国会能不能给宪法条款加上几笔，或者取消某些人的资格？爱荷华大学法学院(University of Iowa College of law)法学教授、选举法博客(Election law Blog)撰稿人德里克·穆勒(Derek Muller)表示，可能性几乎为零。我们曾在2022年对他进行采访。
The question is, can Congress write a law that adds qualifications for federal office — or disqualifications in this case — to what's already written in the Constitution? Almost certainly not, said Derek Muller, a law professor at the University of Iowa College of Law and a contributor to the Election Law Blog. We spoke with him back in 2022.
“‘国会不能增加担任联邦公职的资格条件’这一点在法律上无可撼动”穆勒表示，“你可以想象一下，这是个很实际的问题。如果可以，国会就能通过法条来排除政治对手，不乐意让某些人当选，就可以给他们增加难度。”
"There's a pretty robust understanding of law that says Congress cannot add qualifications for federal office," said Muller. "You can imagine, as a practical matter, why that would be a problem. Congress could pass a statute that disqualifies its political enemies or makes it more difficult for its disfavored candidates to win."
所以即使联邦法规定，违反某些条件的人不允许担任公职，这一规定也会被法院质疑。而且很有可能最高法法官会认为这一规定违宪，让当事人继续竞选。
So even if a federal law says that violators will be disqualified from holding office, it could be challenged in court. And odds are very good that the Supreme Court justices would strike down the "disqualification" part as unconstitutional and let the person run for office again.
2. 第14修正案呢？What About the 14th Amendment?
然而，美国宪法中有一条鲜为人知的条款，犯有一项特定罪行的人不得担任公职:叛乱。
There is, however, a previously little-known clause in the Constitution that disqualifies people from office who have committed one specific crime: insurrection.
第14修正案第3款如下:
Section 3 of the 14th Amendment reads:
无论何人，凡先前曾以国会议员、或合众国官员、或任何州议会议员、或任何州行政或司法官员的身份宣誓维护合众国宪法，而后又参与对合众国的暴乱或反叛，或给予合众国敌人帮助或鼓励，都不得担任国会参议院或众议员、或总统和副总统选举人、或担任合众国或任何州下属的任何文职或军职官员。但国会可以两院各三分之二的票数取消此种限制。
No person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress, or elector of President and Vice-President, or hold any office, civil or military, under the United States, or under any State, who, having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress, or as an officer of the United States, or as a member of any State legislature, or as an executive or judicial officer of any State, to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof. But Congress may by a vote of two-thirds of each House, remove such disability.
穆勒说：“这是宪法中唯二提到竞选资格的地方。禁止曾协助过任何形式叛乱的人在政府担任公职。“
"That's the only other place in the Constitution that says, this is prohibited conduct and we don't want individuals serving in government who have assisted in some sort of rebellion," explained Muller.
第14修正案的第3款是在美国南北战争后写下的。当时美国国会想要阻止任何曾在南方邦联任职的官员再次担任联邦或州公职。1872年，国会解除了对于多数被禁官员的资格剥夺（法律上称“无能力”）。
Section 3 of the 14th Amendment was written in the wake of the Civil War, when Congress wanted to prevent any officials who served in the Confederacy from holding federal or state office again. In 1872, that disqualification (or "disability" in legal language) was lifted by Congress for most of the banned officials.
这项第14修正案的“取消资格“条款而后便一直在角落吃灰。直到2020年1月6日，美国国会暴乱，前总统特朗普被控煽动叛乱。但根据第14修正案，特朗普或其他”曾宣誓支持美国宪法“的政府官员究竟要如何才能被取消任职资格？
The "disqualification clause" of the 14th Amendment was collecting dust until the Jan. 6, 2020, attack on the Capitol and accusations that former President Trump incited the insurrection. But what exactly would it take for Trump or another government official who had "previously taken an oath ... to support the Constitution of the United States" to be disqualified from office under the 14th Amendment?
穆勒表示“人们对此有很多争论”。个人是否应由于煽动或支持叛乱而被定罪? 国会是否应通过一项单独的“授权法令”来确定参与暴乱或反叛的个人? 甚至有人质疑，取消资格是否适用于总统职位。
"There's a lot of debate about that," said Muller. Does the individual need to be convicted of inciting or supporting a rebellion? Does Congress have to pass a separate "enabling statute" that identifies the individuals who participated in the insurrection or rebellion? There are even people who question whether the disqualification applies to the presidency at all.
3. 是，你可以在监狱竞选总统Yes, You Can Run for President From Prison
穆勒还补充道，宪法的制定者们故意将竞选公职的门槛放得很低。与欧洲权贵们不同，在美国竞选公职无需土地或者财富。这就是美式民主。“几乎任何人都可以竞选”。
Muller added that the framers of the Constitution consciously set a "very low bar" of entry for running for office. Unlike European aristocracies, American officeholders didn't have to own land or be wealthy. That's the beauty of American-style democracy. "Just about anyone can run," said Muller.
即使是已定罪的重犯和罪犯也是一样。在1920年的总统竞选中，以直言不讳出名的社会活动家尤金·德布斯（Eugene Debs）在乔治亚州的联邦监狱参选美国总统。1918年，德布斯因他言辞激烈的演讲谴责美国参加一战而被控煽动叛乱罪。1920年，德布斯以“第9653号罪犯”的身份参选，赢得了3.5%的选票。
And that goes for convicted felons and other criminals. In the 1920 presidential election, the outspoken socialist Eugene Debs campaigned for president from a federal prison in Georgia. Debs was charged and convicted of sedition in 1918 for his fiery speeches denouncing America's participation in World War I. Running as "Convict No. 9653," Debs won 3.5 percent of the vote in 1920.
更近些时候，边缘政客林登·拉鲁什(Lyndon LaRouche)因欺诈美国国税局入狱7年后曾于上世纪90年代和本世纪初三次竞选总统。
More recently, the fringe politician Lyndon LaRouche ran for president three times in the 1990s and early 2000s after serving seven years in a federal prison for defrauding the IRS.
4. 竞选是一回事，但要是我真赢了怎么办？
Running Is One Thing, But What About Actually Winning and Serving?
正如穆勒所说，在美国人人都可以竞选公职，但可以竞选和真正获胜之间，是否存在差别呢？如果一名罪犯或叛国嫌疑人真的赢下竞选，有没有办法开除他们，或禁止他们再次竞选呢？
As Muller said, just about anybody can run for political office in America, but is there a difference between running and winning? And if a criminal or suspected traitor is elected to office, are there other ways to remove them or disqualify them from running again?
当然有，穆勒说到。弹劾就是个杀手锏。根据宪法，美国国会有权对“总统、副总统、以及美国所有政府官员”发起弹劾程序。如果众议院多数议员支持弹劾，随后将由参议院进行裁决。如果参议院判定该官员犯有“叛国罪、贿赂罪或其他轻重罪”，该官员将会被免职。
Yes, said Muller. Impeachment is the big one. According to the Constitution, Congress has the authority to launch impeachment proceedings against "The President, Vice President and all Civil Officers of the United States." If a majority of the House votes to impeach, that's followed by a trial in the Senate. If the Senate votes to convict the official of "Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors," the person is removed from office.
据美国众议院，曾遭弹劾的官员包括15名联邦法官、三名总统（安德鲁·约翰逊、比尔·克林顿和两次被弹劾的唐纳德·特朗普），一名内阁部长和一名参议员。其中只有8名联邦法官被参议院定罪并免职。
Civil officers who have been impeached by the House include 15 federal judges; three presidents (Andrew Johnson, Bill Clinton and Donald Trump who was impeached twice); a cabinet secretary and a U.S. senator, according to the U.S. House of Representatives. Only eight of this group, all federal judges, were convicted and removed from office by the Senate.
弹劾时，可以选择是否剥夺其未来的任职资格。历史上，参议院只禁止过3人再次在联邦政府任职，均为联邦法官。
Disqualification from future office is an optional punishment with impeachment. In its history, the Senate has only barred three people from serving again in the federal government, all federal judges.
按照宪法规定，要禁止某人任职，弹劾是唯一的合法手段，但美国国会总有新花样。穆勒说到，20世纪60年代，哈莱姆区一位国会议员以口无遮拦闻名，他名叫亚当·克莱顿·鲍威尔(Adam Clayton Powell)，因在公共场合对同事进行了一些“友好交流”而被排挤。
Impeachment is the only legitimate constitutional tool to bar someone from office, but that doesn't mean that Congress hasn't experimented with other methods. In the 1960s, an outspoken Harlem congressman named Adam Clayton Powell embarrassed his colleagues in the House with some "suboptimal public dealings," noted Muller.
首先，众议院投票剥夺了鲍威尔在委员会的职务，然后又采取了史无前例的做法——众投票“拒绝”鲍威尔进入下届国会。换句话说，试图取消他的任职资格。鲍威尔随即提起诉讼，并闹到了最高法院。最高法院裁定众议院的行为违宪。(鲍威尔在他的家乡选区非常受欢迎，因此他以86%的选票重新当选国会议员。)
First, the House voted to strip Powell of his committee posts, and then it took an unprecedented step — the House voted to "exclude" Powell from the next Congress. In other words, they tried to disqualify him from office. Powell sued and the case made it to the Supreme Court, which ruled that the House's actions were unconstitutional. (Powell was so popular in his home district that he was elected back to Congress with 86 percent of the vote.)
美国国会还曾在总统身上故技重施。2020年，就在1月6日，国会暴乱的同一天，147名共和党国会议员指控乔·拜登(Joe Biden)欺诈选民，拒绝承认其当选。换句话说，国会差一点就拒绝任命民选总统。
Congress could try to do the same thing with a president. In 2020, on the same day as the Jan. 6 insurrection, 147 Republican congressmen and women raised objections to certifying President Joe Biden's victory over allegations of voter fraud. Congress came close, in other words, to refusing to seat an elected president.
穆勒说到:“选举人团代表的是人民和各州意见，如果他们以多数票选出了总统，国会就很难转身拒绝。但也不好说，因为这已经不是一个法律问题，而是一个政治问题。”
"You're really in uncharted territory at that point," said Muller. "If a majority of the Electoral College, which represents the people and the states, has chosen a president, it's very hard for Congress to turn around and say we're going to reject that — as a political matter, which is different from the legal question."
小知识 Now That's Rough
虽然囚犯和重罪犯可以竞选政府公职，但数百万身陷囹圄或有重罪记录的美国人却因国家剥夺选举权法而被禁止投票。
While prisoners and felons can run for office, millions of Americans behind bars or with felony convictions on their record are barred from voting by state disenfranchisement laws.
词汇 Vocabulary
Former /ˈfɔrmər/ adj. 以前的，前任的
indicted /ɪnˈdaɪtɪd/ adj. 被起诉的，被控告的
obstructing /əbˈstrʌktɪŋ/ adj. 阻碍的，妨碍的
hush money /hʌʃ ˈmʌni/ n. 封口费，肃静费
felony /ˈfɛləni/ n. 重罪
possession /pəˈzɛʃən/ n. 拥有，所有物
Constitution /ˌkɑnstɪˈtuʃən/ n. 宪法
Congress /ˈkɑŋgrɛs/ n. 国会
Supreme Court /suˈprim kɔrt/ n. 最高法院
Amendment /əˈmɛndmənt/ n. 修正案，修正条款
Insurrection /ˌɪnsəˈrɛkʃən/ n. 暴动，起义
Rebellion /rɪˈbɛljən/ n. 叛乱，造反
Confederacy /kənˈfɛdərəsi/ n. 联盟，邦联
Oath /oʊθ/ n. 誓言，宣誓
Aristocracies /ˌærəˈstɑkrəsiz/ n. 贵族政府，贵族统治
outspoken /ˌaʊtˈspoʊkən/ adj. 直言不讳的，直率的
fiery /ˈfaɪri/ adj. 烈火的，激烈的
IRS /aɪˌɑrˈɛs/ abbr. (Internal Revenue Service) 美国国内税收局
Traitor /ˈtreɪtər/ n. 叛徒，背叛者
Impeachment /ɪmˈpitʃmənt/ n. 弹劾
cabinet /ˈkæbɪnɪt/ n. 内阁，橱柜
legitimate /ləˈʤɪtəmət/ adj. 合法的，合理的
district /ˈdɪstrɪkt/ n. 区域，地区
Electoral College /ɪˈlɛktərəl ˈkɑlɪdʒ/ n. 选举团
往期链接 Link
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来源：https://people.howstuffworks.com/criminal-conviction-bar-running-for-president.htm
翻译、校对、整理：QuasimodoW9
