Lecture 12-3

Impeachment

• Impeach – to ACCUSE not remove

• A. Johnson and Clinton only presidents impeached

• House Judiciary Committee recommended impeachment for Nixon – he then resigned.

• Impeachment is a POLITICAL process not a judicial process

• Violation of public trust may be an impeachable offense

Impeachment Process

• House judiciary committee investigates – make recommendation to the House

• House impeaches – Majority

• Chief Justice presides over the Senate (President’s trial only)

• House managers prosecute the impeachment in the Senate

• Senate votes – 2/3 to convict

• Senate many only remove from office and prohibit holding of other offices NO OTHER PENALTIES.

• Regular courts may then prosecute

President and Party Leadership

• Presidents still retain influence over their parties

• The relationship remains uncertain for several reasons

– Prefer to be seen “above” partisan politics

– President have limited influence over party nominees for Congress/other offices

– Presidents now have direct links to SIGS

President and Party Leadership

• The relationship remains uncertain for several reasons

– Presidents must make frequent alliances with members of the opposition party in Congress, sometime as the expense of their own party members

– A president’s endorsement of candidate has some, but not much, influence on voters

President and the Media

• Love hate relationship

• Phases

– Cooperation (Honeymoon)

– Conflict (most of the time)

– Detachment (at the end)

President’s Judicial Powers

• Appoint Judges. Senate confirmation and Senatorial courtesy limit this power

• Pardon – Total and complete forgiveness.

– Amnesty

– Commutation

– Reprieve

• Limited to FEDERAL (all federal) crimes only does not apply to impeachment