Trump impeachment explained: Can he be removed from office? And how could it happen?

Talk of impeaching Donald Trump has been percolating on Capitol Hill for months, creating some confusion on how likely it is and what it could entail.

No president has ever been removed from office through the impeachment and conviction process, and it is unlikely at the moment that Mr Trump will be the first.

But a small number of Democrats in the House of Representatives are still on a mission to get him ousted - despite opposition from the House’s Democratic leadership.

What is the basis for Democrats beginning the process?

On Wednesday, six House Democrats launched the latest official effort to oust Mr Trump from office by introducing articles of impeachment against him.

The legislators singled out five of Mr Trump's actions they say merit impeachment, including his decision to fire FBI director James Comey in May.

They assert that Mr Trump obstructed justice by dismissing the top law enforcement official, who was leading a federal investigation into alleged ties between Russia and the Trump campaign. Mr Trump has insisted that there was no collusion between his campaign's advisers and the Kremlin.

The articles also accuse Mr Trump of violating the foreign emoluments clause –– which bars public officials from receiving gifts from foreign governments without Congress’s consent – and the domestic emoluments clause, which prohibits the president from profiting from his office.

Additionally, the Democrats claim that Mr Trump has undermined two of the country’s most important institutions – the courts and the press – in ways that threaten the health of American democracy.

One of the sponsors of the resolution, Representative Al Green, had already introduced his own articles of impeachment, alleging that Mr Trump’s comments and actions as President have stoked racial division throughout the US.

Will the effort succeed?

Democrats are not likely to get Mr Trump removed from office anytime soon, especially since Republicans control both the House and the Senate.

House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi does not support the current effort for impeachment, which she has called premature amid the ongoing Russia investigations. She has also said that impeachment must be rooted in facts rather than personal opinions about the President.

According to the newspaper The Hill, Representative Steny Hoyer – the No 2 Democrat in the House – told reporters on Wednesday: “There are a large number of Democrats that believe this president ought to be impeached, we have just a made a judgment that the facts aren’t there to pursue that.”

If not now, could Mr Trump be impeached later?

Republicans are reportedly concerned that Mr Trump could be impeached if they lose control of the House of Representatives.

While chances were once slim that Democrats would retake the House in 2018, Mr Trump’s feuds with members of his own party and his lack of major legislative wins have made the possibility more likely.

“If we lose the House, he could get impeached. Do you think he understands that?” one top GOP donor said an exasperated Republican senator declared privately, according to CNN.

Republicans are still unlikely to support an effort for Mr Trump’s impeachment, even if Democrats retake the House.

How does impeachment work?

If Democrats win the House, they could vote on articles of impeachment.

If at least one article of impeachment receives support from a majority of members, the president is technically impeached.

The issue then moves to the Senate, which conducts a trial presided over by the Supreme Court's chief justice. If two-thirds of senators find the president guilty, he is removed and the vice president becomes president.

Has any President ever been removed from office through the impeachment process?

No American president has ever been removed from office through the impeachment and conviction process.

Former President Richard Nixon resigned in the face of imminent impeachment by the House – but he was not actually impeached.

Ex-President Bill Clinton was impeached in 1998 on grounds of perjury to a grand jury and obstruction of justice – both of which stemmed from a sexual harassment lawsuit. He was later acquitted of these charges by the Senate in 1999.