A president can be impeached and removed from office through a constitutional process involving both the House of Representatives and the Senate:
Grounds for Impeachment
- The U.S. Constitution states that a president can be impeached for "Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors," though these terms are not specifically defined, leaving it to Congress to interpret what conduct qualifies
Impeachment Process
1. Investigation and Inquiry (House of Representatives)
- The House may begin with an impeachment inquiry investigating allegations of wrongdoing by the president
- This inquiry gathers evidence and hears witnesses to determine if there are grounds for impeachment.
2. Articles of Impeachment (House Vote)
- If sufficient evidence exists, the House Judiciary Committee drafts articles of impeachment, which are formal charges against the president
- The full House debates and votes on these articles. A simple majority vote is required to impeach the president. If passed, the president is officially impeached but remains in office
3. Senate Trial and Removal
- The Senate conducts a trial presided over by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court when the president is the accused
- House members act as prosecutors, the president’s lawyers defend, and the Senate acts as the jury
- Conviction requires a two-thirds supermajority vote of the senators present
- If convicted, the president is removed from office immediately and the vice president assumes the presidency. There is no appeal
Summary
To be impeached and removed, a president must be formally charged by the House for "high crimes and misdemeanors" or similar serious misconduct, impeached by a simple majority in the House, and then convicted by a two-thirds majority in the Senate during a trial. Removal from office follows conviction
