- House majority (218 votes) impeaches; Senate 2/3 supermajority (67 votes) convicts and removes — impeachment alone does not remove anyone from office
- Three presidents have been impeached (Johnson 1868, Clinton 1998, Trump in 2019 and 2021) — none have been removed; Nixon resigned before a House vote
- "High crimes and misdemeanors" is deliberately undefined in the Constitution — Congress alone decides what qualifies; federal courts treat impeachment as a political question beyond judicial review
- Conviction requires 67 Senate votes, making removal nearly impossible when the president's party holds more than 34 seats — a structural veto on accountability
Impeachment is the Constitution’s mechanism for removing federal officials from office. The House charges, the Senate convicts. No president has ever been removed via impeachment, but the process has reshaped three presidencies and is a recurring feature of American political conflict.
How the Impeachment Process Works
Impeachment is a two-stage constitutional process. The House of Representatives holds the first stage: it investigates, drafts articles of impeachment, and votes on whether to impeach. A simple majority (218 of 435) is required. The articles of impeachment specify the charges; each article is voted on separately, and an official can be impeached on some articles and not others.
If the House votes to impeach, the process moves to the Senate for trial. The Senate acts as a court: it hears evidence, receives arguments from House "managers" who serve as prosecutors and the official's legal team, and senators act as jurors. When the president is on trial, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court presides. For other officials, the Senate president pro tempore presides.
Conviction requires a two-thirds vote of senators present (at minimum 67 if all are present). Conviction results in removal from office. The Senate may also separately vote to bar the convicted official from holding future federal office, which requires only a simple majority.
The Three Presidential Impeachments
Andrew Johnson (1868)
Johnson was impeached by the Republican-controlled Reconstruction Congress primarily for violating the Tenure of Office Act by attempting to remove Secretary of War Edwin Stanton without Senate approval. The Senate vote to convict fell one vote short of the required two-thirds (35-19). The episode was largely a clash between Johnson's lenient Reconstruction policy and the Radical Republicans who wanted a more punitive approach toward the defeated Confederate states.
Bill Clinton (1998)
The House impeached Clinton on charges of perjury and obstruction of justice related to his testimony about his relationship with White House intern Monica Lewinsky. The House voted 228-206 on perjury and 221-212 on obstruction. The Senate acquitted on both articles in February 1999, with the perjury article failing 45-55 and the obstruction article failing 50-50. Clinton's approval ratings remained high throughout; his impeachment was widely seen as a political overreach by Republicans.
Donald Trump (First: 2019)
The House impeached Trump in December 2019 on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress related to his communications with Ukraine and the withholding of military aid as alleged leverage to pressure Ukraine to announce investigations into Biden. The Senate acquitted on both articles in February 2020, with only Senator Mitt Romney voting to convict on the abuse of power charge — the first senator in US history to vote to convict a president of his own party.
Donald Trump (Second: 2021)
One week after the January 6 Capitol riot, the House impeached Trump on a single article of incitement of insurrection, with 10 Republicans joining all Democrats in a 232-197 vote. The Senate trial began after Trump had left office. The Senate voted 57-43 for conviction — 7 Republicans voted guilty — but fell short of the 67 required. It was the most bipartisan impeachment conviction vote in US history, even in acquittal.
Impeachment of Other Federal Officials
Impeachment applies to the president, vice president, and "all civil officers of the United States" — which includes federal judges and cabinet members. The most frequent use of impeachment has been against federal judges, with 21 federal judges impeached and 8 convicted and removed from the bench.
In 2024, the Republican House impeached Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas on charges related to border policy. It was the first impeachment of a sitting cabinet secretary in nearly 150 years. The Senate dismissed the charges without holding a full trial, ruling they did not rise to the constitutional standard of impeachable offenses.
A federal judge (or other official) who is impeached and convicted by the Senate is removed from office. Because federal judges have lifetime tenure under Article III, impeachment is the only mechanism to remove them for misconduct.
Nixon: The President Who Resigned Before Impeachment
Richard Nixon is often mentioned alongside impeached presidents but was never formally impeached. In July 1974, the House Judiciary Committee approved three articles of impeachment against Nixon related to the Watergate break-in and cover-up: obstruction of justice, abuse of power, and contempt of Congress. The full House vote appeared inevitable — and unlike modern impeachments, Republican support for conviction was materializing in the Senate.
On August 5, 1974, the release of the “smoking gun” tape revealed that Nixon had personally directed the CIA to obstruct the FBI’s Watergate investigation six days after the break-in. Republican senators who had defended Nixon informed him that they could no longer support him. Republican Senate leadership, including Barry Goldwater and Hugh Scott, visited the White House and told Nixon he faced near-certain conviction. Nixon resigned on August 9, 1974 — the only presidential resignation in US history. Gerald Ford, who assumed the presidency, pardoned Nixon one month later.
The Nixon case illustrates the key difference from modern impeachments: bipartisan political consequences. Nixon’s resignation was driven partly by the threat that Republican senators would vote to convict. In the Trump impeachments (2019, 2021), the maximum bipartisan Senate vote for conviction was 57 — still short of the 67 required, with most Republicans voting to acquit along party lines.
What Impeachment Means for Voters Today
A Political, Not Criminal, Process
Impeachment is fundamentally political. The two-thirds Senate threshold means conviction is nearly impossible when the impeached official’s party holds 34 or more Senate seats. In practice, modern impeachments have become tools of political messaging rather than realistic removal mechanisms — a reality that shapes how both parties use the process.
The Mayorkas Precedent
Republicans impeached DHS Secretary Mayorkas in 2024 on policy grounds, not criminal conduct. The Senate’s dismissal without trial established that policy disagreements don’t meet the constitutional standard for impeachment. This matters for future Congresses: impeachment of cabinet officials over policy is constitutionally difficult even with a House majority.
Disqualification: The Unused Tool
The Senate can separately vote (simple majority) to bar a convicted official from holding future federal office. This option was the central reason Democrats pushed for Trump’s 2021 Senate trial after he had left office — they sought to disqualify him from a 2024 run. The acquittal (57-43) meant it was never reached. The 14th Amendment’s Section 3 (insurrection bar) later became a separate legal avenue explored in courts.
All Presidential Impeachments: Votes and Outcomes
| Official | Year | Charges | House Vote | Senate Vote (Guilty) | Bipartisan? | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Andrew Johnson | 1868 | Violated Tenure of Office Act; defied Radical Republicans | 126–47 | 35–19 (one short of 2/3) | No (intra-party R split) | Acquitted; served out term |
| Bill Clinton | 1998 | Perjury & obstruction (Lewinsky testimony) | 228–206 (perjury) | 45–55 / 50–50 | Minimal (5 R voted acquit on perjury) | Acquitted both articles; approval stayed high |
| Donald Trump (1st) | 2019 | Abuse of power & obstruction (Ukraine pressure) | 230–197 | 48–52 / 47–53 | Romney only (R) voted guilty on abuse | Acquitted; Romney = first senator to convict own party president |
| Donald Trump (2nd) | 2021 | Incitement of insurrection (Jan 6) | 232–197 (10 R voted yes) | 57–43 (7 R guilty) | Most bipartisan impeachment vote ever | Acquitted; fell 10 votes short of 2/3 |
| Alejandro Mayorkas | 2024 | Border policy failures (non-criminal charges) | 214–213 | Senate dismissed | No — Senate rejected on constitutional grounds | Dismissed; set precedent policy ≠ impeachable |
No president has ever been removed through the impeachment process. The two-thirds Senate threshold (67 votes) makes conviction near-impossible when the impeached official's party holds 34 or more seats. The 2021 Trump trial came closest to a bipartisan conviction vote, with 57 senators voting guilty. See also: how the Senate works and judicial review.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does impeachment automatically remove someone from office?
No. Impeachment by the House is only the first stage. It charges the official but does not remove them. Removal requires conviction by two-thirds of the Senate. All three impeached presidents were acquitted by the Senate and remained in office (though Johnson and Clinton served out the remainder of their terms under a political cloud, and Trump was out of office before his second Senate trial concluded). A president can also resign before the process is complete, as Nixon did in 1974 when facing near-certain impeachment.
Can a president pardon themselves to avoid impeachment consequences?
The Constitution explicitly states that a president’s pardon power does not extend to impeachment cases: “The President...shall have Power to grant Reprieves and Pardons for Offenses against the United States, except in Cases of Impeachment.” This means a president cannot use the pardon power to prevent removal from office or disqualification from future office resulting from an impeachment conviction. However, a pardon could potentially cover underlying criminal charges that arise from the same conduct.
What is the difference between impeachment and the 25th Amendment?
The 25th Amendment provides for the temporary or permanent transfer of presidential power when the president is unable to discharge their duties — typically due to incapacity or medical emergency. Section 4 allows the vice president and a majority of the cabinet (or a congressional body) to declare the president unable to serve. Impeachment is a separate process for removing a president for misconduct. The 25th Amendment gained attention in Trump’s final weeks, with some officials discussing whether it could be invoked following January 6, though it was not ultimately used. For more on presidential power, see what is an executive order.
Why was Nixon never actually impeached?
Nixon resigned on August 9, 1974, before the full House voted on the articles of impeachment approved by the Judiciary Committee. He resigned after the “smoking gun” tape confirmed he had personally directed the CIA to obstruct the Watergate investigation — and after Republican Senate leadership told him he faced near-certain conviction. His resignation voided the impeachment proceedings. Gerald Ford pardoned him in September 1974, preventing any criminal prosecution for Watergate-related conduct.
How many federal officials have been impeached in total?
As of 2026, the House has impeached 21 federal judges, 3 presidents (Johnson 1868, Clinton 1998, Trump 2019 and 2021), 1 cabinet secretary (Mayorkas 2024), and 1 senator (William Blount, 1797 — who was expelled rather than convicted). Of the 21 federal judges impeached, 8 were convicted and removed by the Senate, making judges the most common subject of successful impeachment proceedings. See also: how the Senate works.
