US Congress impeaches self | 254 comments (254 topical, editorial, 0 hidden)

For You Mr. President, A Practice Run (none / 1)

Trailer from a friend, Richard "Tricky" Nixon, Republican, who would have been the first and only U.S. President successfully impeached by Congress.

President Nixon's Farewell to the White House Staff

Even for crooks applause rings from the diehards.

What would a Nixon impeachment trial have looked like?
On July 28, 1974, the House Judiciary Committee passed the first of three impeachment articles against President Richard Nixon. Although a final House vote never took place along with a Senate trial, plans were being made for these events.
However, President Nixon resigned on August 9, 1974 after a Supreme Court decision compelled Nixon to released unedited Watergate tape transcripts that included incriminating evidence.
The House committee had debated the impeachment articles for about seven months, and the group approved the first article by a 27-11 vote, on July 28, 1974. On the same day, the Washington Post reported some details about what would happen down the road if Nixon fought the charges.
The Judiciary Committee still needed to write a report for the full House about the charges and get the House Rules Committee to set debate rules. Two weeks of debate were expected under the rules, with the final impeachment vote expected near August 24, 1974. (The Post said that House member Tip O'Neill believed the Nixon impeachment articles would pass a full House vote by at least 50 votes.)
If the House approved any of the three articles, President Nixon would have been provided time to form a defense, with the Senate trial lasting about two months.
The Post also said the Senate leaders Mike Mansfield and Hugh Scott were set to meet the next day to start planning for a possible trial.
But on August 2, the House Rules committee said that the start of the floor debate would be later, on August 19, with the full report due to all House members on August 8, 1974 - the day that Nixon would later announce his resignation to a national audience.

○ Sam Ervin