Chances of impeaching

[Pantagruel]

Senators like Mike Lee and many other GOP senators for obstruction/sedition?
What are the elements necessary, votes needed?

[Sherman A1]

1. ....

[getagrip_already]

6. You can't impeach a senator....

They can only be removed by a 2/3 vote of the senate. The vote can only be called for in the senate.

Chances. Zero.

[PoliticAverse]

8. That isn't a settled issue. n/t

[Celerity]

11. the Senate ruled in 1798 that senators could not be impeached, but only expelled, while debating a

possible impeachment trial for William Blount, who had already been expelled.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_States_senators_expelled_or_censured

[PoliticAverse]

13. The House impeached him, the Senate voted 14-11 that they had no jurisdiction over Blount...

partially because Blount had already been expelled from the Senate.

[Celerity]

21. the Senate ruled the impeachment invalid, Senators cannot be impeached, they can be expelled.

The Constitution requires a two-thirds vote of the Senate to convict anyway, the same as it requires for expelling, and 2/3rds will not happen.


Trying to force this angle (the House having the power of Impeachment over the Senate) would create utter chaos anyway.

A MAGAt controlled House would very likely go wild and start impeaching any Dem they wished, and it would quickly turn into a shitshow.

[bucolic_frolic]

2. zilch

In my view, only 14A favorable court rulings and enforcement will remove anyone in Congress, other than 2 or 3 who are so deeply enmeshed as to be embarrassed out of office.

[vlyons]

3. Senators can't be impeached, only expelled

They can however be indicted and convicted

[PoliticAverse]

7. That isn't a settled issue. Little reason

to go for an impeachment since expulsion is easier.

[Fiendish Thingy]

15. For all practical purposes, it is settled.

No serious person is arguing that a senator can be impeached.

[brooklynite]

18. Article II, Section 4

Section. 4.

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.

Members of the Legislature are not considered "civil officers"

[PoliticAverse]

19. Although I'd agree, the vote in the Senate on the issue was 11-14, meaning 44% of the Senators

voting thought Senators were civil officers.

After three days of argument, the Senate met behind closed doors in January 1799 to deliberate and to vote on two resolutions. The first resolution was defeated, 11-14:

That William Blount was a civil officer of the United States within the meaning of the Constitution of the United States, and therefore liable to be impeached by the House of Representatives; That as the articles of impeachment charge him with high crimes and misdemeanors, supposed to have been committed while he was a Senator of the United States, his plea [to dismiss the charges] ought to be overruled.

(From: https://law-richmond.libguides.com/c.php?g=984378&p=7121142 )

Also the House apparently thought Senators were Civil Officers as they voted five articles of impeachment against Blount.

[Celerity]

22. It is settled. They cannot be impeached. The very fact that the US Constitution lays out a

separate EXPULSION clause (Article I, Section 5, Clause 2) for both House of Congress (completely independent of the Impeachment and conviction clause for Federal officers) shows this to be the case, as does the 1798 attempted impeachment of Blount.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Expulsion_from_the_United_States_Congress

The United States Constitution (Article I, Section 5, Clause 2) provides that "Each House [of Congress] may determine the Rules of its proceedings, punish its members for disorderly behavior, and, with the concurrence of two-thirds, expel a member." The processes for expulsion differ somewhat between the House of Representatives and the Senate.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_States_senators_expelled_or_censured

The United States Constitution gives the Senate the power to expel any member by a two-thirds vote. This is distinct from the power over impeachment trials and convictions that the Senate has over executive and judicial federal officials: the Senate ruled in 1798 that senators could not be impeached, but only expelled, while debating a possible impeachment trial for William Blount, who had already been expelled.

[DetroitLegalBeagle]

4. Senators can be expelled

It takes 67 votes, so chances of it happening is pretty much zero.

[PoliticAverse]

5. Zero chance of a Senator or Congressperson being impeached, at best they might be expelled but...

as that would require Republican votes it isn't happening either.

[walkingman]

9. Not a snowball's chance - there is zero accountability in politics.

[PoliticAverse]

12. For those wondering whether a Senator can be impeached...

In 1798 the House of Representatives voted five articles of impeachment against Senator William Blount but the Senate dismissed them (after they had expelled Blount) leaving the ultimate question not completely settled.

See: https://guides.loc.gov/federal-impeachment/william-blount

[2naSalit]

14. +1

[brooklynite]

16. You can't impeach Members of Congress (House or Senate)

You need a 2/3 vote to expel them.

[global1]

17. Makes No Sense.....

You can't have known 'seditionists' serving in Congress.

There has got to be a way of dealing with such people and ridding them from our government.

[PoliticAverse]

20. Yes, they can be expelled with a 2/3rds vote.

The first Senator to be expelled was expelled for instigating a rebellion.