Impeachment of Clinton&Johnson
The Federalist Papers were written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay in order to garner support for the soon to be Constitution of the United States. In 65, Hamilton discusses the powers of the senate in relation to the impeachment process. The Senate is designated as "sufficiently dignified" and "sufficiently independent" since it is able to remain "unawed and uninfluenced", and therefore, able to preserve "the impartiality" between accused and accuser/s. Yet in the impeachment trials of both Presidents Johnson and Clinton, the Senate proved to be anything but "uninfluenced" as politics came into play during both cases. During his reintegration of the South into the union, Johnson made enemies of an influential faction in the Republican Party, the Radicals. They believed that their goals could only be achieved once the president had been removed from office. Many other Republicans had been offended with his leniency towards the former Confederate States, forcing them to cooperate with the Radicals, yet impeachment seemed to drastic a measure. Two attempts of impeachment were made, but they resulted in failure. The action of President Johnson that led directly to his impeachment was his deliberate violation of
The Tenure of Office Act expanded the power to "advise and consent" by giving the Senate the right to accept or to reject the dismissal of presidential appointees. Political motives were clearly present in both the trials of Johnson and Clinton. "For a majority in Congress to remove him from office in the absence of persuasive evidence that his actions have damaged the body politic would do far more harm to American democracy than Clinton's own sordid deeds. " However, whether that specific case or others will be investigated is open to question. Party lines were dissolved during his trial as well as loyalties lay not within the parties, but in the color green, which was certainly plentiful during the economic prosperity during Clinton's time. The president had vetoed the act, but the Republican majority in Congress overrode the veto. Twelve Democrats and seven Republicans voted for acquittal. Accordingly, the Articles of Impeachment should be dismissed. Whether it is as they envisioned it is another question. Former Supreme Court Justice Benjamin Robbins Curtis, representing the President, emphasized that Andrew Johnson had been within his rights under the Constitution in firing Stanton and questioned whether Stanton was even covered under the statute. Thirty-five Senators voted to convict. "Arguments arose on whether the issue was a moral issue rather than impeachable one and whether public figures were entitled to private lives. The President has acknowledged conduct with Ms. (Time 2/18/99) In the end, Clinton was acquitted on both accounts due to lack of a 2/3 vote with a vote guilty to not guilty of 45 to 55 with Article I and a 50 to 50 vote over Article II.
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