City
Epaper

The three impeached American Presidents

By IANS | Published: December 19, 2019 11:36 AM

The Democrat-controlled House of Representatives has voted to impeach President Donald Trump on the basis of two charges abuse of power and obstruction of the Congress. But he is not the first American President to be impeached.

Open in App

The others were as the following:

Andrew Johnson

Andrew Johnson was the 17th President of the US and he served from April 1865 to March 1869. He was President Abraham Lincoln's Vice President and assumed presidency after the latter was assassinated.

He came to power just as the Civil War concluded and according to a BBC report, Johnson constantly sparred with the Republican-held Congress over how to rebuild the defeated US South.

The Republicans pushed for a legislation to punish former Confederate leaders and protect the rights of freed slaves. Johnson used his presidential veto to block the Republican efforts at every turn.

This led to a conflict, leading to his impeachment by the House of Representatives. But he was subsequently acquitted in the Senate by one vote.

Richard Nixon

Richard Nixon, the 37th President of the US, served from January 1969 to August 1974. His near-impeachment traces back to the 1972 break-in of the Democratic Party's headquarters at the Watergate office complex in Washington D.C.

Investigations revealed that the burglars were paid by funds from Nixon's re-election campaign.

In August 1974, as the House Judiciary Committee prepared impeachment articles, Nixon was forced to release Oval Office recordings in which he was heard ordering his staff to have the CIA tell the FBI to stop its investigation into the Watergate break-in.

Fearing a loss of political support and that he would be impeached and removed from office, Nixon resigned that same month. He remains the only US President in history to have done so.

Bill Clinton

Within a year of taking office in January 1993, Bill Clinton, the 42nd American President, was under probe by a Justice Department special prosecutor into real estate dealings and his affair with former White House intern Monica Lewinsky.

In December 1998, the House of Representatives voted along party lines to impeach Clinton on two counts: perjury and obstruction of Congress. But in February 1999, Clinton was acquitted by the Republican-controlled Senate.

For the year that the Lewinsky-Clinton scandal consumed the country, the President resisted growing calls to resign, the BBC said in a report.

But Clinton left office in January 2001 with a 65 per cent approval rating - the highest of any of American President since the Second World War.

( With inputs from IANS )

Tags: Bill ClintonNixonJohnsonusWatergate
Open in App

Related Stories

InternationalUS Fire: Over 1.2 Million Chickens Burn to Death in Massive Blaze at Egg Facility in Illinois (Watch Video)

InternationalOhio Chase Bank Blast: One Dead, Multiple Injured After Gas Leak Explosion in Youngstown Building; Dramatic Video Emerges

MaharashtraGanesh Chaturthi 2024: Pen's Ganpati Bappa Goes Global as Fifth Batch of 5,000 Idols Shipped to Canada and America

InternationalUS Announces $275 Million in New Security Assistance for Ukraine, Including Ammunitions and Artillery Rounds

InternationalUS Secretary of State Announces New Visa Restrictions on Georgia for Undermining Democracy

International Realted Stories

InternationalAt UNSC: US, allies condemn N Korea's failed satellite launch, nuke bid; China, Russia defend

InternationalVery strong relations with India; co-producing armoured vehicles: US Defence Secy Lloyd Austin at Shangri La Dialogue

InternationalPakistan: Govt doctor in Rawalpindi suspended for directing patient to private lab for tests

InternationalQatar, Egypt push Hamas to accept Israel's ceasefire proposal

InternationalEntertainment giant Live Nation confirms data breach via Ticketmaster