Connecticut representative John B. Larson has announced he has filed articles of impeachment to remove President Donald Trump from office, saying “the president becomes more unhinged and risks the lives, safety, and security of the American people.” This is not the first time that Trump has faced impeachment efforts. He made history as the first U.S. president to be impeached twice—during proceedings tied to Trump/Ukraine scandal and the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
What is the difference between filing for impeachment and impeachment?
When a member of Congress files articles of impeachment, they are formally proposing charges against a president. This step is essentially an accusation—it does not mean impeachment has happened yet.
Impeachment itself occurs only if the United States House of Representatives votes by a simple majority to approve those charges. At that point, the president is officially impeached. The process then moves to the United States Senate, which holds a trial to determine whether the president should be removed from office. Removal requires a two-thirds vote in the Senate, which is much harder to achieve.
This distinction is important: filing articles of impeachment starts the process, but impeachment is the result of a successful vote in the House.
What does impeachment really mean?
Impeachment is often misunderstood as removal from office, but they are not the same thing. Impeachment is more like an indictment in a criminal case—it means formal charges have been approved. It does not determine guilt or lead automatically to removal.
A president can be impeached and still remain in office, as was the case with Donald Trump, who was acquitted by the Senate both times. Only if the Senate convicts the president after a trial can the president be removed from office.
In short, impeachment is a political and constitutional process designed to hold a president accountable, but removal requires a much higher level of agreement amongst lawmakers.
The articles have yet to even be considered by congress and it will likely take at least a couple of months to get the ball rolling but Larson’s desired outcome is the total removal of Trump from office.
