Constitutional Grounds for Presidential Impeachment

"The House Judiciary Committee had a bi-partisan staff, which worked together, along with the historian C. Vann Woodward, to study the origins of impeachment in the United States. Their study is one of the best, most reliable, and comprehensive ever done. To this day, impeachment scholars cite the report with respect, and it is a great document to read to understand the history of impeachment at the federal level in this country. Prior impeachment proceedings provide useful guides for exercising the federal impeachment power. The House has impeached 19 people, and these impeachment proceedings in the House are helpful for understanding how the House understands its impeachment power. The impeachment trials of these impeached officials in the Senate demonstrate how hard it is to convict and remove someone; only eight of the nineteen have been convicted and removed from office. The requirement that two-thirds of the Senate present must agree on a conviction is a high bar to meet, as further reflected in how few people are actually convicted and removed in American history ."