impeachment

Impeachment is a formal political process, not the same as a criminal conviction. It happens when a lawmaking body brings official charges against a high-ranking public official for serious wrongdoing or abuse of power. You can think of it as the step that puts a leader on trial, not the step that removes them. In the United States, the House of Representatives can impeach, and the Senate then holds the trial. Only a conviction in that trial leads to removal from office. The idea behind it is to make sure even powerful leaders can be called to answer for their actions. For example, Andrew Johnson, Bill Clinton, and Donald Trump were all impeached by the House, but none were convicted by the Senate.

Impeachment is the formal process by which a legislative body brings charges against a government official. People often confuse it with immediate removal from office, but that is not what the word means. It is usually the first step in a larger process: first the official is formally charged, and then there may be a trial or another decision about whether the person should stay in office.

In the United States, the House of Representatives has the sole power to impeach, which means to bring the charges, while the Senate has the sole power to try those charges. The Constitution names "treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors" as grounds for impeachment. This language is broad, so it can cover serious abuse of power, corruption, or major violations of public trust, even when the issue does not look exactly like an ordinary criminal case.

The process often begins with an investigation. If enough evidence is found, lawmakers may vote on articles of impeachment, which are the specific charges against the official. In the U.S. House, a simple majority vote is enough to impeach.

After that, the official can be tried in the Senate, where Senators act like jurors. If the President is being tried, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court presides. A two-thirds vote in the Senate is required for conviction. If convicted, the official is removed from office and may also be barred from holding office again.

Historically, impeachment has been rare and highly important. Many officials have faced it, but only three U.S. presidents have been impeached by the House: Andrew Johnson, Bill Clinton, and Donald Trump, who was impeached twice. None of them were convicted by the Senate. More broadly, the word is used for a system meant to protect the public from leaders who seriously misuse their position. It is a political and legal safeguard, built on the idea that no official is above the law.