AP US Government : Presidency
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Example Questions
Example Question #101 : Presidency
Which President has been impeached (aka thrown out of office)?
None of those listed
Richard Nixon
Bill Clinton
Andrew Johnson
None of those listed
This question is a bit tricky at first – technically, no US President has ever been FULLY impeached. According to the Constitution, the process of impeachment occurs in two stages: first, the House must vote to charge the sitting President with crimes and must then initiate impeachment proceedings. If these proceedings are passed by the House, then the issue is sent to the Senate, which holds a trial to determine the President’s innocence or guilt (with the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court as acting judge). Two Presidents – Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton – have undergone the first stage of the impeachment process: the House charged each man with committing crimes and filed impeachment papers against them; however, the Senate exonerated both men, although Johnson escaped conviction by only a single vote. As for Richard Nixon, he most likely would indeed have been fully impeached – both charged and convicted – if he had not resigned from office (the only President to ever do so) before Congress could act.
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