What happened when US presidents Andrew Johnson, Richard Nixon, and Bill Clinton faced impeachment, and how it compares to Trump

bill clinton
bill clinton

Time Life Pictures/White House/The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images

  • On December 18, President Donald Trump was impeached by the House of Representatives.

  • On February 5, he was acquitted on both charges after a Senate trial.

  • Only three US presidents have faced impeachment — Andrew Johnson in 1868 and Bill Clinton in 1998 were both impeached, while Richard Nixon resigned before he could be impeached in 1974.

  • No president has ever been convicted. That hasn't changed.

  • Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

President Donald Trump, the third president in history to be impeached, was acquitted on Wednesday.

In the fall, Congress investigated whether Trump pressured Ukraine to investigate his political rival, Democrat presidential candidate Joe Biden, and his son.

On December 13, the House Judiciary Committee voted to advance two impeachment articles against Trump — one for abusing his office, and the other for obstructing Congress. On December 18, he was impeached on both articles.

On February 5, he was acquitted on both charges. For the abuse of power charge, 48 senators, including Republican Sen. Mitt Romney, voted to convict Trump, while the other 52 Republican senators voted to acquit him.

For the obstruction of Congress charge, the final vote was along party lines — 53-47.

Impeachment is a power Congress has to remove presidents or other federal officials from office if enough lawmakers find that they have committed "treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors."

First there's the investigation, then the House of Representatives votes on whether to impeach and charge them with any crimes, and if a majority votes in favor, then a Senate trial determines whether they're guilty and the penalty.

Three other presidents have faced impeachment proceedings.

In 1868, Andrew Johnson was impeached for breaching the Tenure of Office Act, but the Senate narrowly acquitted him by one vote. In 1974, Richard Nixon faced an impeachment inquiry, but he quit before he could be impeached. In 1998, Bill Clinton was impeached, but he was acquitted by the Senate.

Only 11 days had passed after a whistleblower complaint before Pelosi announced an impeachment inquiry, Axios reported. For Nixon, it took 599 days from the Watergate break-in to an inquiry, while for Clinton it took 260 days from the first news report of an affair to an inquiry.

Here's how the process went for the four presidents who faced impeachment.

Former President Andrew Johnson was the first sitting president to ever face impeachment proceedings.

Andrew Johnson
Andrew Johnson

Library of Congress

Source: Senate

It all began when he removed his Secretary of War Edward Stanton from office in 1867, which breached the Tenure of Office Act.

Andrew Johnson
Andrew Johnson

Library of Congress/Wikimedia Commons

The law meant he couldn't fire any important officials without first getting Senate's permission. At first, he'd suspended Stanton and replaced him, but when Congress intervened and reinstated Stanton, Johnson fired him on February 21, 1868.

Three days later, on February 24, 1868, the House of Representatives impeached Johnson by a vote of 126-47.

portrait of the House of Representatives' impeachment committee of President Andrew Johnson in 1868. Left to right (standing) are James F. Wilson, George S. Boutwell, and John A. Logan. Seated are (left to right) Benjamin F. Butler, Thaddeus Stevens, Thomas Williams, and John A. Bingham.
portrait of the House of Representatives' impeachment committee of President Andrew Johnson in 1868. Left to right (standing) are James F. Wilson, George S. Boutwell, and John A. Logan. Seated are (left to right) Benjamin F. Butler, Thaddeus Stevens, Thomas Williams, and John A. Bingham.

Corbis / Getty

The House said he'd violated the law, and disgraced the United States' Congress.

From March to May 1868, over 11 weeks, the Senate tried Johnson's case, and finally voted to acquit him. The vote was 35 guilty to 19 not guilty.

Andrew Johnson
Andrew Johnson

Wikimedia Commons

One more guilty vote would have met the required two-thirds that's necessary for a conviction. Seven Republican senators broke with their party and voted to acquit Johnson, who was a Democrat.

Over 100 years later, the two-year crisis that would lead to Nixon's resignation began on June 17, 1972, when five men were arrested after breaking into the Democratic National Committee's headquarters at the Watergate hotel in D.C.

Richard Nixon
Richard Nixon

Getty Images

They were caught trying to bug the building. A year later, on January 8, 1973, the trial for Watergate began. By the end of April, two senior White House officials and the attorney general had resigned over the controversy. The White House counsel was fired.

 

In July, Nixon refused to hand over taped phone calls, which were thought to connect Nixon to the burglary and its cover-up. They are known as the "Nixon tapes."

Nixon
Nixon

AP Photo

Nixon cited executive privilege as the reason for not handing them over to Congress (even under subpoena), and the Supreme Court later unanimously ruled that he had to.

In October, more controversy followed, including several high White House officials resigning rather than following Nixon's order to fire special prosecutor Archibald Cox, who was leading the investigation into misconduct by Nixon.

Archibald Cox (center) is sworn in as Special Watergate Prosecutor.
Archibald Cox (center) is sworn in as Special Watergate Prosecutor.

Bettmann / Getty

This event was known as the "Saturday night massacre." A month after it, Nixon gave his famous line: "I am not a crook."

On May 9, 1974, the House Judiciary Committee began impeachment proceedings against Nixon. The House of Representatives authorized the proceedings with an overwhelming vote of 410-4.

richard nixon
richard nixon

Charles Tasnadi/AP

Sources: PBS, Los Angeles Times

By July 1974, the House Judiciary Committee found Nixon had obstructed justice, misused his power, and was in contempt of Congress. The three charges were sent to the floor for a full House vote.

Newspaper headlines being read by tourists in front of the White House tell of history in the making. It is said to be imminent that President Nixon will become the first President of the country to resign.
Newspaper headlines being read by tourists in front of the White House tell of history in the making. It is said to be imminent that President Nixon will become the first President of the country to resign.

Bettmann / Getty

Source: PBS

But before the house could vote to impeach Nixon, he resigned on August 8, 1974. He is the only president to ever resign.

Richard Nixon (1913 - 1994) gives the thumbs up as he addresses the White House staff upon his resignation as 37th President of the United States, Washington, DC, 9th August 1974.
Richard Nixon (1913 - 1994) gives the thumbs up as he addresses the White House staff upon his resignation as 37th President of the United States, Washington, DC, 9th August 1974.

Keystone / Hulton Archive / Getty

If he had been impeached, he would have been tried in the Senate and he could have been convicted.

From early 1994, President Bill Clinton was dealing with scandals and politically motivated investigations, beginning with a financial investigation known as "Whitewater."

hillary clinton bill clinton
hillary clinton bill clinton

AP

Source: The Guardian

That same year, Paula Jones sued him, accusing the president of sexual harassment.

Paula Jones
Paula Jones

Scott Olson/Getty Images

Clinton argued he had presidential immunity from civil cases, but in 1997, the Supreme Court rejected his argument.

In January 1998, during Jones' case, Clinton denied under oath that he'd ever had an affair with White House intern Monica Lewinsky.

monica lewinsky bill clinton
monica lewinsky bill clinton

The White House/AP

Source: The Guardian

But news of Clinton's affair with Lewinsky got out.

Monica Lewinsky
Monica Lewinsky

AP Photo/Nick Ut

In July 1998, Clinton testified over the allegations that he'd committed perjury by lying about his affair with Lewinsky. And by August, he'd admitted to having an affair with Lewinsky.

Lewinsky had also recorded conversations of her talking about the affair, and the transcripts of the conversation went public in October 1998.

On October 8, 1998, just days after the tapes were released, the House of Representatives voted for impeachment proceedings to begin against Clinton.

Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton

Jeffrey Markowitz/Getty Images

In a report released in September by independent counsel Kenneth Starr, there were 11 grounds for impeachment.

On December 11, 1998, the House approved three articles of impeachment along party lines — that Clinton had lied to a grand jury, that he had committed perjury by denying his relationship with Lewinsky, and that he had obstructed justice.

Pres. Bill Clinton at press conference.
Pres. Bill Clinton at press conference.

Diana Walker / The LIFE Images Collection / Getty

The next day, a fourth article was approved, which accused Clinton of abusing his power.

On December 19, 1998, the House impeached Clinton for two of the articles — perjury and obstructing justice. The votes were 228-206, and 221-212, largely along party lines.

Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton

J. Scott Applewhite/AP

Despite being impeached, Clinton refused to step down.

Clinton was tried by the Senate and acquitted on February 12, 1999.

Bill Clinton reaffirms his intention to remain president of the US.
Bill Clinton reaffirms his intention to remain president of the US.

Brooks Kraft LLC / Sygma / Getty

His perjury charge had a vote of 55 not guilty to 45 guilty, and his obstruction of justice charge was 50 not guilty to 50 guilty. They didn't meet the two-thirds majority necessary to convict.

Senators voted largely on party lines, except for two Republicans — Sen. Susan Collins, who voted "not guilty" for both impeachment articles, and Sen. Richard Shelby, who voted "guilty" on one and "not guilty" on the other.

Clinton still had two years of his second term in office left. He spent it winning a 79-day war in Kosovo, normalizing US trade relations with China and Vietnam, and presiding over a very strong economy.

Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton

J. Scott Applewhite/AP

Sources: Miller Center, Clinton White House

President Donald Trump was the fourth president to face a formal impeachment investigation.

president trump
president trump

Alex Wong / Getty Images

A whistleblower complaint about a July 25 phone call sparked the House investigation.

According to a memo Trump released of the call, he repeatedly pressured Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter over baseless allegations of corruption. Trump also asked his Ukrainian counterpart to look into a bogus conspiracy theory suggesting Ukraine interfered in the 2016 US election.

The Democrats' investigation and officials' testimonies about Trump were behind closed doors in the preliminary stages.

A sign marks a door to a secure area behind Rep. Lee Zeldin.
A sign marks a door to a secure area behind Rep. Lee Zeldin.

Patrick Semansky / AP

Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff, one of the three House committee chairmen who led the inquiry, said they kept it behind closed doors so witnesses didn't coordinate their testimonies.

The Wall Street Journal's Natalie Andrews pointed out that the special counsels who investigated Nixon and Clinton both used grand juries in their probes, which does everything behind closed doors.

The investigators later turned their findings over to Congress to use in its impeachment inquiries into those presidents.

On November 13, the hearings went public, giving the nation a direct look at the key figures, the process, and the allegations. Multiple officials testified that there was quid pro quo between Trump and Ukraine.

Fiona Hill
Fiona Hill

Andrew Harnik/AP

A cascade of witness testimony since Congress launched its impeachment inquiry revealed that the Trump-Zelensky phone call was just one data point in a months-long pressure campaign spearheaded by Rudy Giuliani, Trump's personal lawyer, on behalf of the president.

Giuliani also enlisted other government officials in his efforts, including Gordon Sondland, the US ambassador to the European Union, and Kurt Volker, then the US special envoy in Ukraine.

Following the hearings, the House Intelligence Committee released a draft inquiry report on December 3. It found that Trump had conditioned "a White House meeting and military aid to Ukraine on a public announcement of investigations beneficial to his reelection campaign."

Trump Zelensky
Trump Zelensky

Jonathan Ernst/Reuters

Sources: Business InsiderBBC

On December 4, the House Judiciary Committee took over. The committee was in charge of drafting the impeachment articles and laying out the case for and against impeachment. It was a highly charged and politicized affair.

Representative Doug Collins, a Republican from Georgia and ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee, second right, speaks as chairman Representative Jerry Nadler, a Democrat from New York, listens during a hearing in Washington, D.C., U.S., December 12, 2019. Andrew Harrer/Pool via REUTERS
Representative Doug Collins, a Republican from Georgia and ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee, second right, speaks as chairman Representative Jerry Nadler, a Democrat from New York, listens during a hearing in Washington, D.C., U.S., December 12, 2019. Andrew Harrer/Pool via REUTERS

Reuters

Sources: Business InsiderBusiness Insider

On December 10, House Democrats unveiled two articles of impeachment against Trump, both relating to Ukraine. One charged him with abuse of power and the other charged him with obstructing Congress. The House Judiciary Committee vote was divided by parties — all 23 Democrats voted for it, and all 17 Republicans voted against.

U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) speaks during a news conference on the USMCA trade agreement on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., December 10, 2019. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas
U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) speaks during a news conference on the USMCA trade agreement on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., December 10, 2019. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas

Reuters

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said lawmakers were impeaching Trump to "honor our oath of office."

On December 18, the full House of Representatives impeached Trump. Both articles of impeachment passed, making him the third president in US history to be impeached.

donald trump impeachment house vote
donald trump impeachment house vote

AP Photo/Patrick Semansky

The abuse of power article passed with a vote of 230-197, while the obstruction of Congress article passed 229-198.

Both were largely along party lines.

Two Democrats — Rep. Jeff Van Drew of New Jersey and Rep. Collin Peterson of Minnesota — voted against the first article of impeachment. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii, who is running for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination, voted "present."

Amash voted in favor of the second article, while Van Drew and Peterson voted against it, as did Democratic Rep. Jared Golden of Maine. Gabbard voted "present" again.

On January 15, the full House voted to send the articles of impeachment to the Senate. There was a weeks-long delay, as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi attempted to pressure the Republican-controlled Senate into putting on a fair trial and calling new witnesses.

pelosi signs articles of impeachment
pelosi signs articles of impeachment

REUTERS/Leah Millis

Source: Business Insider

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell didn't cave to Pelosi's delay. He said the trial would mirror Clinton's, and witnesses would be considered at the trial's end.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., fields questions from reporters about an impeachment trial in the Senate shortly after Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., announced House Democrats are pushing ahead with formal charges against President Donald Trump saying he has put U.S. elections and national security at risk, at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2019.  (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Associated Press

Sources: Politico, Business Insider, Politico

The Senate is made up of 53 Republicans, 45 Democrats, and two independents who caucus with the Democrats. To convict Trump, 67 votes were needed to get a two-thirds majority.

House impeachment managers arrive for the procedural start of the Senate impeachment trial of U.S. President Donald Trump in the US Capitol.
House impeachment managers arrive for the procedural start of the Senate impeachment trial of U.S. President Donald Trump in the US Capitol.

JONATHAN ERNST/Reuters

Source: Business Insider

On January 22, the Senate trial arguments began. Democratic impeachment managers, including Rep. Adam Schiff and Rep. Jerry Nadler, argued to convict. Trump was defended by White House counsel Pat Cipollone and Jay Sekulow, Trump's personal attorney.

FILE PHOTO: Lead manager House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff (D-CA) speaks during the third day of the U.S. Senate impeachment trial of U.S. President Donald Trump in this still image from video in the U.S. Senate Chamber at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, U.S., January 23, 2020.   Senate TV/Handout via Reuters
FILE PHOTO: Lead manager House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff (D-CA) speaks during the third day of the U.S. Senate impeachment trial of U.S. President Donald Trump in this still image from video in the U.S. Senate Chamber at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, U.S., January 23, 2020. Senate TV/Handout via Reuters

Reuters

Source: Business Insider

Democrats had hoped to bring in additional witnesses to bolster the trial, but Republicans blocked the measure.

chuck schumer
chuck schumer

Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

The 51-49 vote was along party lines, with only Republican Sens. Mitt Romney of Utah and Susan Collins of Maine voting in favor or calling witnesses with the Democrats.

On February 5, the Senate acquitted Trump on both charges.

Mitt Romney
Mitt Romney

Drew Angerer/Getty Images

For the abuse of power charge, 48 senators voted to convict Trump, including Republican Sen. Mitt Romney, who was the first senator to ever vote for the removal of a president in their own party. The other 52 Republican senators voted to acquit him.

"Corrupting an election to keep oneself in office is perhaps the most abusive and destructive violation of one's oath of office that I can imagine," Romney said in a speech announcing his decision.

Romney joined the Republicans to vote to acquit in the obstruction of Congress charge, which passed on a 53-47 vote.

Now that the impeachment process is over, Trump will focus on his reelection campaign. According to Gallup polling, as of January 16-29, Trump's approval ratings are 49% — the best he's ever had.

President Donald Trump
President Donald Trump

Alex Wong/Getty Images

Sources: Reuters, Business Insider

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