The House of Representatives voted to impeach President Trump for the second time on January 13, 2021, making him the only president in U.S. history to face impeachment twice.
While former President Trump isn’t the first president to face impeachment, his second trial, and what comes next, is dominating headlines. Read on to learn more about the impeachment process.
Reasons for impeachment.
Impeachment is when a legislative body levels charges against a high-ranking official. The term is typically connected with the president. The leader of the U.S. isn’t the only one who can face impeachment, though. It’s also possible for a vice president or another civil leader to get impeached too.
According to the United States Constitution, a president can face impeachment for “treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors.” In other words, the president (or another high-ranking official) needs to have committed a pretty serious offense. Congress can’t impeach the leader of the country just because they think they’re doing a bad job.
How does a president get impeached?
The impeachment process starts in the House of Representatives. According to the Constitution, the House has the sole power of impeachment, while the Senate has the sole power to try all impeachments.
If the House finds sufficient cause for impeachment, they must vote on one or more “articles of impeachment.” These are the resolutions that contain an explanation of the charges. A majority vote results in impeachment, and the articles move to the Senate. The Senate holds the trial and then votes on whether or not to convict the president.
What happens next depends on the results of the vote. If fewer than two-thirds of Senate members vote to convict the president, the leader remains in office. If the conviction receives more than two-thirds, the president gets removed.
