What offensives can cause the impeachment and trial of a US president?

Answer 1

A US president can be impeached for committing treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors. The House of Representatives can bring charges against a president for the above crimes. A trial of the president in the Senate then takes place. A conviction results in the removal form office of the president. A not guilty verdict allows a president to remain in office.

Answer 2

Impeachment is the Congressional act of DECIDING to remove an elected official from office. Understand: Impeachment is the process (of deciding) not the final result. For example, President Bill Clinton was indeed fully impeached, but the end result was that he was not removed from office. The Senate voted to allow him to keep his position as President. The impeachment proceeding was fully completed.

According to Article II, Section 4, of the United States Constitution: "The President, Vice President and all civil officers of the United States, shall be removed from office on impeachment for, and conviction of, treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors."

The impeachment process is in two steps:

The House of Representatives holds a hearing, examining evidence, questioning witnesses, and votes on weather or not to send the proceedings to the Senate, where they would vote on weather or not to remove an elected official from office. If the House does send the proceedings to the Senate, then the Senate too examines evidence, calls witnesses, and takes a final vote on weather or not to remove the elected official from office.

Congress decides what constitutes a "high crime" or "misdemeanor." It can be something blatantly illegal (like theft, murder, etc.), or Congress can decide that mismanaging the office of the President, public funds, poor implementation of legislation is a "high crime" or a "misdemeanor." What falls in these criminal categories is simply up to the sitting Congress; it is not written in the Constitution nor in any laws.

Two Presidents of the United States - Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton - have been impeached. In both cases, the House sent the matter to the Senate, and the Senate voted to allow these men to complete their terms as President.

Many misunderstand the true meaning of impeachment. Some will say that Congress tried to impeach President Clinton, but that they did not, because he was not kicked out of office. This is an incorrect assessment. Impeachment is the act of deciding, not the result. The Senate impeached Clinton, and decided to allow him to keep his office. Clinton was fully "impeached."