Who Are the U.S. Presidents Who Faced Impeachment? What Were the Charges? Here's the List

Impeachment is a rare event, but an important one in the political history of America. The President of America is bestowed with enormous powers, but the provision of impeachment of the president holds the power to remove a president from office. The reason behind this removal is serious misconduct.

Today, we bring a detailed look at some of the presidents of the United States who had to face the impeachment proceedings. We also threw light on the charges that went against these presidents.

Andrew Johnson (Year: 1868)

Andrew Johnson became the president of the United States after the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. The president clashed over Reconstruction policies with the Radical Republicans in the Congress. The charge against Andrew Johnson was of violating the tenure of the Office Act. The House impeached Johnson on charges that dealt with the removal of Secretary of War Edwin Stanton. The House claimed that Andrew Johnson violated the Office Act's Tenure. It is interesting to note that Johnson was acquitted by just one vote in the Senate.

Richard Nixon (Year: 1974)

Richard Nixon faced charges for impeachment proceedings relating to the Watergate scandal. The proceedings showed that the president was involved in the cover-up of illegal acts by the administration. Strong evidence piled up against him. The evidence included several White House tapes as well. It is important to note that even before the House could vote on the impeachment, Nixon took resignation. The resignation of the president proved to be an important moment in the history of the United States. The resignation of the president proved to be the first time a president left office voluntarily under the threat of impeachment.

Bill Clinton (Year: 1998)

Bill Clinton had to go through impeachment proceedings after several allegations. The allegations said that Clinton lied under oath. The allegations further said that Clinton obstructed justice with regard to his extramarital affair with Monica Lewinsky, a White House intern. The House impeached Bill Clinton on the charges of perjury along with obstruction of justice. Senate acquitted Bill Clinton and permitted him to finish his second term in office.

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Donald Trump (Year: 2019 and 2021)

The first impeachment of Donald Trump followed allegations of abuse of power in his office. Allegations say that Trump put pressure on Ukraine to investigate Biden and his son Hunter Biden. The second charge on Trump was that of obstruction of Congress related to his refusal to show cooperation with the inquiry for impeachment. The House impeached Trump, but the Senate acquitted him.

The second impeachment of Trump arose from the attack on the U.S. Capitol by his supporters on January 6, 2021. The supporters sought to overturn the results of the elections. Trump was impeached by the House on charges of inciting the insurrection. The Senate acquitted him. A majority of the senators voted for conviction, but a two-thirds majority could not be achieved.

Presidents with impeachment inquiries or proceedings

There were many other presidents who faced the impeachment proceedings, but those proceedings did not turn into impeachment.

For instance, John Tyler, in the year 1842, faced impeachment proceedings. The proceedings were initiated by the House of Representatives. However, these proceedings did not turn into an impeachment of the president.

Herbert Hoover too faced an impeachment resolution in the year 1933 in the House of Representatives relating to how he handled the Great Depression. However, the resolution did not see any progress.

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The next one on the list is James Buchanan who faced an attempted impeachment resolution. However, this did not turn into the impeachment of the president.

Abraham Lincoln too faced an impeachment resolution in the year 1864. The resolution was brought about by radical Republicans in Congress. However, it did not proceed.

The Wrap-up

Andrew Johnson, Donald Trump, and Bill Clinton are the only presidents in the United States who have been formally impeached. However, there have been many other former presidents who have faced impeachment resolutions or proceedings. These, clearly, did not turn into a formal impeachment for these presidents.

Impeachment stands as an essential constitutional mechanism for the Congress. The mechanism holds the president of the United States accountable for the alleged misconduct. This provision implies that just because the president of the United States is bestowed with enormous powers, misconduct is still not acceptable. The mechanism reflects the strong checks and balances that are inherent in the American political system. Every case of impeachment offers valuable insight into the complexities and challenges of the presidential power of the United States and the rule of law.

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