What is an impeachment and how does the process work?
The House has voted 221-212 to formalize their impeachment investigation into President Joe Biden. Can the president be removed from the Oval Office?
The House has formally adopted a resolution authorizing an impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden with a 221-212 floor vote. The investigation is related to corruption allegations against his son, Hunter Biden.
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What is an impeachment investigation?
A presidential impeachment investigation is a specific type of inquiry aimed at probing alleged misconduct on the part of the president of the United States. It is a formal process initiated by the House of Representatives to determine whether there are sufficient grounds to impeach the President. Impeachment is the constitutional process by which a President or other government official can be removed from office for high crimes and misdemeanors.
To begin the investigation, a formal vote is required in the House of Representatives, where the minimum majority must be obtained to begin the process.
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Will Joe Biden be impeached? How an impeachment works
If the investigation concludes that the president committed misconduct or illegal acts, a resolution must be made that would set out all the reasons why the president should be removed.
The resolution must be voted on by both chambers of Congress: the House of Representatives and the Senate. Even if the vote passes in the lower house, it is the upper house, made up mostly of Democrats, that has the last word, as it acts as the jury in the trial.
If the impeachment passes the Senate vote after being approved in the House of Representatives, Joe Biden would be removed one year from the end of his term. However, this is a scenario that seems quite unlikely, even impossible, since the Democrats have 51 seats in the Senate, while the Republicans have 49, which makes it difficult for the impeachment vote to go through.
How many impeachment trials have been held in the United States?
To date, there have been four impeachment trials of three United States presidents: Andrew Johnson in 1868, Bill Clinton in 1998 and two of Donald Trump, one in 2020 and another in 2021. All of them were acquitted after the vote failed to pass in the Senate.