Lately, we hear the big “I” word tossed around with Trump. But what does that mean? We can’t look at history to tell us what it is nor can we assume Trump is up for impeachment. There is a lot of information that we can not assume about Trump. Impeachment is a serious matter and we are not a country that has taken this lightly.
There has been no U.S. president that has been impeached. Nixon was the closest president to ever being impeached. Watergate caused problems for him but it only pressured him to resign before he was officially impeached.
There is a probability, depending on the opinions in the House and Senate, that Trump will feel the same pressures that Nixon felt. But can he really be impeached? How can he be impeached? Who will be the next President?
So What Is It?
Impeachment is the INVOLUNTARY closure of a President, Vice President, and Civil Officers. Trump is not the only person that would lose their position. The entire cabinet and the VP along with the president are out of a position.
How Do You Get Impeached?
This is the tricky area. Impeachment is due to a conviction of bribery, treason, or other high crimes and misdemeanors. The president must be found guilty of these crimes. However, there is no firm evidence against Trump. We have all our assumptions but most of the claims made against him are opinions because there is no law stating that interactions with Russia are illegal. We don’t know the full extent of what has happened. All of these infractions are not clearly define in American law. This requires a lot of thought before Trump can be convicted.
There is still a chance Trump could have committed one of these transgressions but it requires investigation. Depending on the information that he has shared with Russia, Trump may be facing charges of treason, and or bribery. It is a serious matter. It also has to be decided how severe his potential crimes are.
Who Decides?
The House of Representatives makes the formal charges against the president. The Senate is the group that decides if the president is actually impeached. The Supreme Court is not involved in the affairs of impeachment. It was decided after Nixon that the Court will not have a say in impeachment.
Essentially the decision relies on the House and the Senate to decide.
What Happens if Trump is Impeached?
No one knows. There are no laws that clarify what happens. We have four articles in the Constitution that state anything about impeachment. Most of what happens is up in the air. The Senate or House has to decide who they want to be the next president. It is all up in the air. All of our laws are vague which doesn’t help with the decision. We just have to wait to and see what happens. If the Senate is swayed, then, it will go to the House to decide.
