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What is Impeachment? And what is the process for it?


 Impeachment is defined as a formal accusation that a person in a position of leadership in the Federal government has committed a crime. The process of impeachment of a president is in-bedded in the United States Constitution. A committee is specifically created for the impeachment process to move forward in a timely manner. Once the committee is formed and the accusations against  the president or any federal employee is met within the formal guidelines of the Articles of Impeachment, the process can then continue. This process begins in the House of Representatives with the reading of the charges being presented against the president or employee. The House is the first step in deciding if there are actually any grounds to impeach. Articles of impeachment are presented to the committee and if a majority votes are for rather than against, on any of the Articles, then the formal process of impeachment can begin.
At this point the Articles of impeachment are sent to the United States Senate for a formal trial. This trial of the President or employee will be held just like a grand jury voting in favor or not in favor of a person accused of a crime. The Senate will then listen to both sides being presented and will need to cast a majority vote to actually impeach. If the Senate votes in favor of the Articles presented then the official action to remove the President from office begins. 
  In order for a President of the United States to be impeached they must violate the Articles of Impeachment. A general idea of the high crimes needed to proceed with an impeachment are; Treason, Failure to protect our National Security, Failure to Guarantee First Amendment Religious Liberty, Deliberate economic sabotage, Violation of Federal Court Order, and Actions Taken without Constitutional Authority. 
In the United States history there have only been two presidents that have been impeached, Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton. Johnson was impeached in 1868 for high crimes and misdemeanors detailed in 11 Articles of Impeachment.  The primary charge against Johnson was that he had violated the Tenure of Office Act in which he fired the acting Secretary of War. Johnson’s impeachment did not result in his removal from office as he was found not guilty. Clinton was impeached in 1998 on charges of perjury and obstruction of justice.  Although Clinton was found guilty, he too, was not removed from office of the President. President Richard Nixon was facing impeachment proceedings, charged with High Crimes and Misdemeanors in 1974, which was sent before the House of Representatives to begin investigation, but Nixon opted to resign from the office of the President before proceedings were completed. 
 Congress considered impeaching President John Tyler over states rights issues but the resolution did not pass. 
The process of impeaching a President or Federal employee is not to be taken lightly and needs serious consideration by laying a solid foundation of violated Articles before proceeding.  



















David Cain, 2012. Sample Articles of Impeachment. Conserving the Nation, Essays about long-term political, economic, and social issues. BlogSpot. http://conservingthenation.blogspot.com/2012/07/sample-articles-of-impeachment.html 



“How to Impeach a President,” 2017. VOX Channel. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JRtJXnsUYBc 


Robert Longley, 2019. The Impeachment Process in US Government, Ben Franklin's Better way to removing ‘obnoxious’ Presidents. ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/impeachment-the-unthinkable-process-3322171 


President Andrew Johnson Impeached, 2010 updated 2019. History. https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/president-andrew-johnson-impeached 


House Begins Impeachment of Nixon, 2009 updated 2019. History. https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/house-begins-impeachment-of-nixon 

President Clinton Impeached, 2018 updated 2019. History. https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/president-clinton-impeached

Comments

  1. LauraSeptember 25, 2019 at 8:04 AM

    Rylie, I enjoyed reading your in depth description of what the overall impeachment process entails. I also find it very timely given what has recently made the news. Nancy Pelosi has made a formal impeachment inquiry on President Trump. There appears to be a lot of celebration among liberal voters since they may believe that such action signifies his removal. Your post would benefit many who do not understand that the impeachment process alone is lengthy and does not directly mean that the standing president will be removed.

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