President Donald J. Trump Impeached by House of Representatives
President Donald J. Trump was impeached by the House of Representatives on this day.
The House passed two Articles of Impeachment. Article I charged Trump with Abuse of Power, and Article II charged Trump with Obstruction of Congress. Read the two Articles of Impeachment.
The vote on Article I was 230 in favor, 197 against, and 1 present. The vote on Article II was 229 in favor, 198 against, 1 present. The votes were almost completely along party lines. Only two democrats voted against Article I, and three voted against Article II. The Senate found President Trump not guilty on both Articles, but votes of 48-52 on Article I and 47-53 on Article II.
Trump became only the third president in American history to be impeached. President Andrew Johnson, who succeeded to the office after President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated, was impeached the the House of Representatives on March 2-3, 1868. The Senate failed to convict and remove Johnson from office, however. The vote was 35-15 to convict, one vote short of the two-thirds necessary. President William J. Clinton was impeached on December 19, 1998. The Senate failed to convict him on February 12, 1999. On Article I, 45 senators voted to convict and remove; 67 votes were needed for conviction. On Article II, 50 senators voted to convict and remove.
Article II, Section 4 of the Constitution:
The President, Vice President and all civil Officers of the United States, shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors.
Read: Cass R. Sunstein, Impeachment: A Citizen’s Guide (2019)
Read about the history of impeachment: Jon Meacham, Impeachment: An American History (2018)