Donald Trump Impeachment Odds: Has He Done Anything To Warrant It?

What are Donald Trump’s impeachment odds? Word has come out that there have been impeachment papers known as “Articles of Inquiry” filed against the president but has he actually done anything to warrant impeachment? After all, it’s not even been thirty days since his inauguration, so what are the odds he’s messed up enough to be legitimately impeached? Furthermore, how does the impeachment process work?

According to Inquisitr, Congressperson Jerrold Nadler of New York, a Democrat from the House Judiciary Committee, has brought forth Articles of Inquiry on Donald Trump, which is the first measure that must be taken in order to impeach the president of the United States.

The last time this action was taken against the American Commander in Chief was when GOP politicians brought forth two articles on President Bill Clinton in 1995. The reasons to impeach Clinton, however, were pretty clear. Firstly, he had been caught red-handed committing perjury, and secondly, Paula Jones, who had worked for the state of Arkansas while Clinton was serving, had filed a lawsuit claiming sexual harassment by Clinton, which she ended up winning.

Bill Clinton did get served the articles of impeachment on December 19, 1998, as reported by History.com.

“After nearly 14 hours of debate, the House of Representatives approves two articles of impeachment against President Bill Clinton, charging him with lying under oath to a federal grand jury and obstructing justice.”

However, he was never officially removed from office because the Senate voted to acquit him of the charges two months later on February 12, 1999. Clinton was the second president in the history of the United States to be impeached. Andrew Johnson was the first president to be impeached in 1868.

That being said, what are Donald Trump’s impeachment odds, and if this attempt at impeachment moves forward, what are the steps that need to be taken to successfully impeach a president?

We already know that filing impeachment articles is the first step to approaching presidential impeachment. The document that Jerrold Nadler filed cites Donald Trump’s business dealings and those of his sons as a problem, as well as his business interactions with foreign governments and any profits from overseas governments.

According to About.com, the presidential impeachment procedure begins in the House of Representatives and ends in the Senate. Charges, or articles, must first be filed and the House votes on each of the articles, with their vote deciding whether or not each charge is a justification for impeachment. If they vote in favor of impeachment for any one of the articles brought against the president, he or she will be tried in the Senate.

As illustrated with Bill Clinton, being served with the articles of impeachment is not equal to removal from office, so if President Trump does get served, there are a few more things that must happen in order to get him out of the White House for good.

“…being impeached is sort of like being indicted of a crime. There still has to be a trial, which is where the US Senate comes in.”

A trial ensues, with every U.S. senator serving together as the jury, appointed House members make up the prosecution, and the president gets his or her own team of lawyers to serve as the defense. After the trial concludes, the Senate first congregates privately to discuss an outcome; then they congregate openly to vote on the president’s fate. A two-thirds majority is needed for “conviction” to take place, and if that’s the case, the Senate votes again on whether or not the president is to be removed from office.

So what are Donald Trump’s impeachment odds as of right now? There are many factors that must be scrutinized, but more importantly, has he done anything to warrant impeachment?

According to the United States Constitution, the president “shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors.”

Based on this, reasons for presidential impeachment are open to interpretation. Alexander Hamilton’s Federalist Papers defined “high crimes and misdemeanors” as “breaking a law, abuses of power,” and “violation of public trust,” all of which are also open to interpretation.

President Gerald Ford once said that the actions that warrant impeachment are “whatever a majority of the House of Representatives considers it to be at a given moment in history.”

So, do the majority of House members believe President Trump’s business dealings, personal financial interest, and interactions with foreign governments constitute treason, bribery, a crime or misdemeanor? It’s more complicated than this, obviously, but in the interest of keeping it simple, this is basically what it comes down to.

Are Donald Trump’s impeachment odds good or bad based on what you now know? Do the Democrats have a solid case or are they reaching for something that’s not there? Does Trump deserve to be impeached? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section.

[Featured Image by Rena Schild/Shutterstock]