Impeachment: An American History by Jeffrey A. Engel

Impeachment: An American History

by Jeffrey A. Engel

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History & Foreign AffairsPolitics & Power

Three presidents, three case chapters, and one argument: impeachment runs on politics more than law, and it goes nowhere unless you have congressional consensus and public backing. Jon Meacham covers Andrew Johnson, Timothy Naftali covers Richard Nixon, Peter Baker covers Bill Clinton, and Jeffrey A. Engel frames what the Founders intended.

Core ideas
  • Two acquittals: Johnson's 1868 clash with Congress over Reconstruction failed in the Senate by one vote, and Clinton's Lewinsky-era impeachment also ended in acquittal.
  • Nixon left first: The House Judiciary Committee approved three articles over Watergate, and he resigned in 1974 before a full House vote.
  • A vague standard: Engel weighs how loosely high crimes and misdemeanors is defined, and what that means for holding future presidents to account.
Published2018
Pages368
ISBN9781984843500
ReadDec 2024

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