“The President, Vice President and all civil Officers of the United States, shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors.” – Article II, Section 4 of the United States Constitution
Step 1: Drafting articles of impeachment
A member of the United States House of Representatives writes articles of impeachment against the president of the United States.
Step 2: Voting on articles of impeachment
There are multiple methods for voting on impeachment articles. Rule IX of the House permits any individual representative to force a vote on articles of impeachment.
A majority of the House must vote to approve them. Once this occurs, the articles are sent to the United States Senate to be used in an impeachment trial.
Step 3: The impeachment trial
The Senate sets the rules for an impeachment trial.
Impeachment managers are selected in advance by a majority of the House. These impeachment managers argue that the articles of impeachment are grounds for removing the president from office.
Unlike in a criminal trial, the Constitution does not require that the president be guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. Instead, senators are allowed to select their own threshold to convict.
To convict the president of the United States, two thirds of the senators present must declare them guilty of the charges.
What’s next?
If convicted, the president is removed from office. A vote can then occur to disqualify them from ever holding federal office again. This vote needs only a simple majority to pass.
If the president is not convicted, they continue to hold office.
There is no limit on the number of times the impeachment process can be pursued. If impeachment does not work the first time, it can be tried again until it does.