9781422275658

Members Fred Thompson, Howard Baker, and Sam Ervin of the U.S. Senate Watergate Committee, investigating grounds for impeachment of President Richard Nixon, start a session on Capitol Hill. Nixon resigned before he could be officially impeached.

The House´s Role The process begins when a member of the House of Representatives, under oath, brings a charge or a list of charges against one of these officials. The charges are then referred to the House Judiciary Committee. The Judiciary Committee conducts a full-scale investigation into the charges by gathering evidence and holding hearings in which witnesses for the “prosecu- tion” and “defense” testify. Based on the evidence and testimony gathered during the investigation, the Judiciary Committee draws up articles of impeachment. These are formal charges of wrongdoing. The articles of impeachment, along with the Judiciary Committee’s recom- mendations, are then presented to the entire House of Representatives. House

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An Overview of Impeachment