Donald J. Trump was impeached for the first time on December 18, 2019, and the second time on January 13, 2021. He is one of three presidents to be impeached and the only president to be impeached twice. The first impeachment for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress was related to claims that President Trump had allegedly solicited foreign interference in the 2020 Presidential election and then refused to comply with subpoenas for documents and testimony. The trial began on January 16, 2020, and ended with an acquittal on February 5, 2020.
The second impeachment for incitement of insurrection came in the wake of the January 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol, for which President Trump was accused of encouraging protestors to commit acts of violence. The trial was triggered on January 25, 2021, when the Senate received the charge by Congress and ended with an acquittal on February 13, 2021.
Date of event: December 18, 2019
Impact:
- Two witnesses in the first impeachment trial, Gordon Sondland, U.S. Ambassador to the European Union, and whistle-blower Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Vindman were fired by President Trump.
- President Trump fired Michael Atkinson, inspector general of the intelligence community, who played a key role in pursuing the investigation into a whistle-blowing complaint about the president abusing his power.
- According to NPR, the level of trust amongst lawmakers was negatively impacted due to disagreements on impeachment and President Trump’s actions.
- According to impeachment.guide, President Trump was the first president to have members of his own party vote to remove him from office.
Related Resources:
- Impeachment Papers: A Compendium of Documents Related to the Impeachment of President Donald J. Trump
- GPO document compilation: Impeachment of President Donald J. Trump (2020 and 2021)
- Congressional Research Service: Impeachment and Trial of a Former President
- Impeachment Inquiry into President Donald J. Trump: Presentations from the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and House Judiciary Committee, Hearing Before the Committee on the Judiciary, House of Representatives, One Hundred Sixteenth Congress, First Session, December 9, 2019
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Photo Credit: NBC News