SoftBank donated $50 million to Trump’s library months before federal data center deal
SoftBank donated $50 million to Trump’s library months before federal data center deal
软银在获得联邦数据中心项目前数月向特朗普图书馆捐赠 5000 万美元
SoftBank contributed $50 million to the Trump Presidential Library in January, just months before announcing that it’s leasing land from the federal government to build a sprawling data center in Ohio. The Japanese company revealed the timing in response to a June letter from Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), and Rep. Melanie Stansbury (D-NM), which raised concerns about bribery.
今年 1 月，软银向特朗普总统图书馆捐赠了 5000 万美元，而就在几个月后，该公司宣布将租赁联邦政府土地，在俄亥俄州建设一个大型数据中心。这家日本公司是在回应参议员伊丽莎白·沃伦（民主党，马萨诸塞州）、理查德·布卢门撒尔（民主党，康涅狄格州）和众议员梅兰妮·斯坦斯伯里（民主党，新墨西哥州）6 月份的一封信时披露这一时间节点的，这封信对潜在的贿赂行为表示了担忧。
“Are we expected to believe it’s a coincidence that two months after Softbank donated $50 million to the Trump library, his administration announced a massive lease deal for Softbank’s data center?” Sen. Warren said in a statement to The Verge. “Again and again, it seems like Trump is putting handshake deals with CEOs over what’s best for Americans.”
“我们难道应该相信，在软银向特朗普图书馆捐赠 5000 万美元两个月后，他的政府就宣布了软银数据中心的巨额租赁协议，这仅仅是个巧合吗？”沃伦参议员在给《The Verge》的一份声明中表示，“一次又一次，特朗普似乎总是将与首席执行官们的私下交易置于美国人民的利益之上。”
In March, SoftBank said its SB Energy subsidiary formed a public-private partnership to build “the world’s largest” AI data center at the US Department of Energy’s site in Portsmouth, Ohio. As part of the partnership, SB Energy will build a massive gas-fired powerplant nearby, with a capacity of at least 9.2 gigawatts.
今年 3 月，软银表示其子公司 SB Energy 已达成一项公私合作伙伴关系，将在美国能源部位于俄亥俄州朴茨茅斯的基地建设“全球最大”的 AI 数据中心。作为合作的一部分，SB Energy 将在附近建造一座大型燃气发电厂，装机容量至少为 9.2 吉瓦。
As the lawmakers note in their initial letter, SoftBank has made contributions to the presidential libraries of Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush, but only “after those presidents had left office and after the relevant library foundations and institutions had been established.” With Trump’s presidential library, however, SoftBank donated during Trump’s term and “before any presidential library has been constructed.”
正如议员们在最初的信中所指出的，软银此前也曾向罗纳德·里根和乔治·W·布什的总统图书馆捐款，但那都是在“这些总统离任且相关图书馆基金会和机构已经成立之后”。然而，对于特朗普的总统图书馆，软银却是在特朗普任期内，且“在任何总统图书馆尚未建成之前”就进行了捐赠。
Additionally, the organization responsible for taking donations, the Donald J. Trump Presidential Library Fund, had been dissolved by the state of Florida last September after failing to file an annual report. SoftBank says in its response that it made its $50 million contribution to the Donald J. Trump Presidential Library Foundation, Inc.
此外，负责接收捐款的组织“唐纳德·J·特朗普总统图书馆基金”因未提交年度报告，已于去年 9 月被佛罗里达州解散。软银在回应中表示，其 5000 万美元的捐款是提供给“唐纳德·J·特朗普总统图书馆基金会”（Donald J. Trump Presidential Library Foundation, Inc.）的。
Donald Trump’s son, Eric Trump, is a trustee of the nonprofit, Citizens for Ethics reports. “As with its prior contributions to Presidential libraries, SoftBank understands that this donation will be used to support the construction and operation of the Donald J. Trump Presidential Library,” SoftBank’s letter reads.
据“公民道德组织”（Citizens for Ethics）报道，唐纳德·特朗普的儿子埃里克·特朗普是该非营利组织的受托人。软银在信中写道：“正如之前对总统图书馆的捐赠一样，软银理解这笔捐款将用于支持唐纳德·J·特朗普总统图书馆的建设和运营。”