Impeachment of a US president and how it works

WASHINGTON: The announcement Tuesday of a formal impeachment inquiry by the Democrats in the House of Representatives into President Donald Trump for abuse of power is a high-stakes gambit with uncertain consequences. Nancy Pelosi, the Democratic speaker of the House, had shown little appetite for impeachment during the first three years of Trump’s tumultuous presidency. But the political scandal over Trump’s attempt to seek dirt from Ukraine on his potential 2020 Democratic presidential rival Joe Biden was the last straw for the top Democrat in the House.

Pelosi said the six House committees already investigating Trump on various grounds would proceed with their probes under the umbrella of an official impeachment inquiry. “The president must be held accountable,” Pelosi said. “No one is above the law.” More than 150 of the 235 Democratic members of the 435-seat House have shown support for impeachment or the opening of an inquiry into removing the chief executive.

No House Republicans have come out in favor of impeachment and Republicans currently control the Senate, making conviction unlikely. Trump tweeted that impeachment was “presidential harassment” and “witch hunt garbage.” No president has been ousted from office by impeachment, but even the threat can bring one down - Richard Nixon resigned in 1974 to avoid certain removal in the Watergate scandal. Two presidents beat the process: the House formally impeached Andrew Johnson in 1868 and Bill Clinton in 1998, but in both cases they were acquitted in the Senate. —AFP