IMPEACHED PRESIDENTS

ANDREW JOHNSON

In 1868, Andrew Johnson became the first United States President to be impeached. He was charged with breaching the Tenure of Office Act, after removing his Secretary of War Edwin Stanton from office without the Senate’s permission. He was acquitted by one vote in the Senate.

BILL CLINTON

In 1998, Bill Clinton was impeached for lying to a grand jury in a sexual harassment lawsuit filed by former Arkansas state employee, Paula Jones. He testified, in that case, that he had never had a sexual relationship with White House intern Monica Lewinsky. This was later disproved through the Starr investigation, which cited 11 possible impeachable offences, ranging from perjury and obstruction of justice to witness tampering and abuse of power. Clinton also formally acknowledged having an affair with Lewinsky. He was tried by the Senate, but acquitted.

DONALD TRUMP

Donald Trump has been impeached on allegations he violated the law and the constitution by asking the Ukrainian president to probe the actions of a political rival. Mr Trump admits discussing Democrat presidential candidate Joe Biden and his son with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, but he is adamant he has done nothing wrong. There are claims Mr Trump further threatened to withhold US aid to Ukraine if the Bidens were not investigated. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has insisted that by asking a foreign government to help him politically, the 45th president of the United States has “betrayed the constitution”.

Disgraced leader Richard Nixon resigned before a final House vote to impeach him over the Watergate scandal.