Although Donald Trump’s six-month presidency has aroused conversations of potential impeachment, two Democratic lawmakers are now pushing for it by filing an official article of impeachment.

Brad Sherman and Al Green were the two lawmakers that formally introduced the article of impeachment. With reference to Trump’s firing of James Comey, the former FBI director, the article is based on Trump’s “obstruction of justice”.

In his speech, Mr. Sherman said, “It now seems likely that the President had something to hide when he tried to curtail the investigation of [former] National Security Advisor Michael Flynn and the wider Russian probe.”

Their claims could hold merit, as Donald Trump Jr. released emails over twitter, evidencing his meeting with Russian representatives during the 2016 elections. In the screenshots, it can be seen that Donald Trump Jr. met with a Russian lawyer to acquire information about Hillary Clinton, who was his father’s competitor at the time.

“We now begin the effort to force the House Judiciary Committee to hold hearings on Obstruction of Justice and Russian interference in our election,” Mr. Sherman continued.

What Exactly Is Impeachment?

Impeachment is the authority granted to the Congress by the Constitution to dismiss its current president from office.

According to the Constitution, however, impeachment is not solely limited to the president or vice-president. In the U.S, any civil officer that has been convicted of bribery, treason, or other high crimes and misdemeanors can be removed from their position.

How Does Impeachment Work?

The House of Representatives was granted the authority to impeach under Article One of the Constitution, which also allowed the Senate to try all impeachments. If Donald Trump were indeed to be impeached, then the Chief Justice should be the one to lead the trial.

Of course, a vote by the House is necessary, but the House Judiciary Committee has the authority to investigate and analyze each article. Continuing the process, The House will require a simple majority of votes in order to adopt the articles of impeachment, and it’s also good to note that the committee doesn’t need to approve impeachment for the House to vote.

If the required votes are met, the House will appoint managers from its members to act as “prosecutors” as the article goes to trial in the Senate. At this time, the president is allowed attorneys for his defense.

In order for the president to be found guilty, a two-thirds majority must be reached in the Senate. In this event, the vice-president would take office.

“I served with Mike Pence in Congress for 12 years, and I disagree with him on just about everything,” Sherman added. “I never dreamed I would author a measure that would put him in the White House.

How Many Presidents Have Been Impeached In U.S History?

Impeachment has happened twice in the history of the United States – starting with Andrew Johnson in 1868, and most recently, Bill Clinton in 1998.

Although impeached, neither was removed from office.

What Does The White House Have To Say?

In a conversation with reporters, Deputy Press Secretary Sarah H. Sanders commented on the article of impeachment, calling it “utterly ridiculous”, before adding that it was a “political game at its worst”.

What Are The Odds?

Being in a Republican-led House, with other Democratic leaders distancing themselves from the impeachment effort, the lawmakers understand that the odds aren’t in their favor.

However, he hopes to spur additional scrutiny in the White House over Trump’s actions if this article doesn’t gain support through any future “impulsive incompetencies”.

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