What is "impeachment" in the US?
There is much talk going around on impeaching the president of the United States. Without going into the politics of the matter, let’s look at what “impeachment” is and how serious is it?
What is impeachment?
Impeachment is a rare event in US history. It is a noncriminal process. The most that can happen as result of impeachment is removal from office and the person getting barred from holding future office. It’s a process which is a final check on the powers of the president of the United States. The US Constitution states that the president of the country can be impeached and removed from office for a number of offences such as treason, bribery, corruption, betrayal of trust to a foreign power, or other high crimes and misdemeanors. The scope of impeachable offenses has grown over time. But political high crimes and misdemeanors that are injurious to the state and society remain the main focus.
How does impeachment work?
The US Congress is a part of the government that writes and brings in laws. Congress opens an investigation and gathers information. The impeachment process has to be started by the House of Representatives which is one half of the US Congress. The House of Representatives need a simple majority to begin the process of impeachment. Should they succeed in getting this majority, the trial begins in the Senate – which is the second half of the Congress.
The Senate is somewhat like a court room. Senators act like a jury and decide whether a president is guilty or not. The vote of two-thirds of the Senators are required in favour of impeaching the president to remove him from office.
It is not just the presidents of the United States who can get impeached. Any civil official can be impeached. This includes Vice Presidents, federal judges and heads of agencies. Out of the 19 impeachment cases in US history, 15 have involved judges, with one Secretary of War and one Senator in the mix. Today, however, Senators cannot be impeached at all. They are censured or expelled from Congress through various procedures.
Has any US president been impeached in US history?
Only two US presidents have been impeached so far. Andrew Johnson was impeached in the year 1868 and Bill Clinton in 1998. Neither of them was convicted and removed from office. The only president who came closest to being impeached and removed from office was Richard Nixon but he resigned before impeachment proceedings could begin.
Finally, if a US president gets impeached and removed from office, his vice-president would take the oath of office and become the next US president.
IMPEACHMENT IS the process by which a legislative body levels charges against a government official. In the United States, for example, impeachment at the federal level is limited to those who may have committed "Treason, Bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors"
Last month, the House impeached Trump on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. Trump has denied any wrongdoing, and Republicans in the House have called the impeachment effort a partisan hit job.