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SHORT ANSWER: IS YES. The scandal had become so obvious and the popular response so negative that impeachment had become the 'Will Of The People'. the reasons why it got so hot - are the social-political topics that history will discuss.
YET: the whole affair (as detailed Below) would not have come to light (or kept there) except by the actions of 'The Free Press'. That is another question.
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That question has been the topic of heated debate. One side says yes, he committed perjury and obstruction of justice; the other side says his actions didn't rise to the level of an impeachable offense.
The charge of perjury arose from the President denying he had a sexual relationship with Monica Lewinsky in a deposition given to attorneys for Paula Jones' civil suit against Clinton for sexual harassment. The relationship with Jones occurred while Clinton was Governor of Arkansas, and was not contemporaneous with his presidency. The Jones case was later dismissed by the court because Clinton's affair with Jones didn't involve coercion, promise of a job, promotion, or other criteria for sexual harassment.
Before Clinton testified in the House of Representatives, his DNA was matched to semen stains on a dress Monica Lewinsky kept after one of their encounters. When asked about the relationship before Kenneth Starr's impeachment committee, Clinton acknowledged having an "inappropriate relationship" with Lewinsky (the evidence was irrefutable). So the perjury charges stemmed from Clinton's contradictory testimony in the civil deposition.
Similarly, the obstruction of justice charges arose from Clinton's attempt to deny the affair with Lewinsky and to his unsuccessful attempt to postpone the civil action until the end of his Presidency. The impeachment charges had nothing to do, directly, with Clinton's affair with Lewinsky; they were related to the earlier affair with Paula Jones.
Clinton's own lawyers acknowledged his actions were "morally reprehensible," but the impeachment apparently hinges on a single lie told in a deposition for a lawsuit unrelated to his presidency. Although he lied to the press and American public about his relationship with Lewinsky, that isn't a chargeable offense.
According to the Constitution, the President can be impeached for committing "high crimes and misdemeanors," but the definition is vague and not part of the standard legal lexicon. Whether Clinton's actions were sufficiently egregious to justify impeachment is arguable and a matter of opinion.
Wiki User
∙ 12y ago
Wiki User
∙ 8y agoThis is a matter of opinion in many ways. Most Democrats and Clinton supporters would say no, while Republicans would likely say yes.
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Who was the only US President to be impeached?
There have been 2 Presidents Impeached in the U.S. history. The 17th president Andrew Johnson was impeached by the House of Representatives in 1868 for violation of the Tenure in Office Act of 1867. However, the Senate was one vote short of convicting Johnson. The 42nd president Bill Clinton was impeached in 1998 by the House for perjury and obstruction of justice. As with Johnson, the Senate could not come up with the two-thirds majority to convict Clinton. President Nixon was not impeached. While the House issued articles of impeachment for bribery, obstruction of justice, illegal wiretapping, and bribery Nixon resigned the Presidency before the House voted for impeachment. Most certainly had he not resigned he would have been impeached.
Was Clinton impeached?
Yes. President Clinton was charged with two articles of impeachment for perjury and obstruction of justice relative to Paula Jones' civil suit against Clinton for sexual harassment. The House voted to impeach on December 19, 1998; Clinton's Senate trial began on January 14, 1999, with Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist presiding. On February 12, 1999, President Clinton was acquitted of perjury charges by a vote of 55-45, and of obstruction of justice by a vote of 50-50. Conviction required a two-thirds vote of the Senate (at least 67 or 100).
How many times in the past has Hillary Clinton been elected president and not won the popular vote?
Hillary Clinton has never been elected president. She apparently won the popular vote in the recent 2016 presidential election.
Can the president be under arrest?
No person is above the law. However, the process by which an elected official is tried is substantially different but just as effective. He or she is first charged--this is called impeachment and is somewhat like an arrest. The second phase is the trial phase--this is called conviction. I suppose that an elected official could be remanded to custody upon impeachment if the charge were serious enough, but he or she would still be entitled to a trial. Only two Presidents have been impeached (i.e. Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton). However, no President has ever been sent to jail because no President has ever been convicted of a crime. Richard Nixon was not impeached; he resigned his office.
How many US government officials had been impeached before 1867?
One Senator was impeached and found guilty, three Federal Judges were impeached and two were found guilty, one supreme court justice found not guilty and one President found not guilty.
How many American presidents have been impeached?
As of June 2014, there has only been two American presidents to be impeached. The presidents were Bill Clinton and Andrew Johnson. Both were acquitted.
If president Clinton had been impeached who would have taken over as president?
Clinton remained president through the end of his term. Had he been removed from office, it would have gone to Vice President Al Gore.
Which president was not impeached?
Only two of 43 president were impeached: Andrew Johnson and William Jefferson Clinton. Richard Nixon resigned while impeachment charges were being prepared against him. In both cases the sitting president was impeached but in neither case did the Senate choose to convict so although both were impeached, neither was removed from office.
What two presidents have been impeached but not convicted?
William Jefferson Clinton. The first was Andrew Johnson. The are the only two to be impeached, and no President has ever been convicted by the Senate.
What president was impeached by the house of representatives?
Bill Clinton. (Nixon resigned right before he could be impeached).AnswerTrick question: Asked in the singular, it implies only one president was impeached. In fact two presidents were impeached: Bill Clinton, and Andrew Johnson (Lincoln's Vice-President), who was impeached not once but twice. for A+ it is not removed from officeclass 2010-2011 ;)
What two Presidents besides Andrew Johnson were impeached?
Only two US Presidents have been impeached: Andrew Johnson (1868) and Bill Clinton (1998). Both were acquitted at their Senate trials.
How many U.S. president have been removed from office after having been impeached?
Zero! The 17th and 41st President's, Andrew Johnson and William (Bill) Clinton, were both impeached by the House of Representatives but later aquitted by the Senate. Richard Nixon resigned the office of the President before he could be impeached.
What president faced impeachment?
Two U.S. Presidents have been impeached: Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton (trial). Both were acquitted at trial. Richard Nixon resigned in the face of the near certainty of his impeachment, which had already been approved by the House Judiciary Committee.
Did Jimmy Carter get impeached?
Jimmy Carter was not impeached (accused of illegal acts) as president. The only presidents who have been impeached were Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton. Both were acquitted of the charges. Richard Nixon resigned before being impeached.
Only president to have been impeached?
There have been two impeached United States Presidents: Andrew Johnson, for violating the Tenure of Office Act, and Bill Clinton, for grand jury perjury and obstruction of justice.
Name of us presidents that have been impeached?
Bill Clinton and Andrew Johnson are the only two US presidents to be impeached, but impeachment is only the first step in the process of removing a president. (Many people think "impeached" means "thrown out of office," but that is not true.) The procedure for removing a president involves both houses of Congress. After first being impeached (which is like being indicted) in the House of Representatives, a vote must then be taken in the US Senate; if a majority of senators agree, then the president is removed. In the cases of Presidents Clinton and Johnson, the Senate did not vote to convict them, so both men finished their terms as president.
Which president was almost impeached?
Two U.S. presidents have been impeached: Andrew Johnson, the seventeenth chief executive, and William J. Clinton, the forty-second. ----------------------- While both were impeached, neither Johnson nor Clinton were convicted.
