5 things to know about Biden's impeachment inquiry
The impeachment inquiry is not a formal impeachment
While actual impeachment consists of the House voting on formal articles and allegations of wrongdoing followed by a trial in the U.S. Senate with the chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court presiding, the impeachment inquiry merely acts as a fact-finding mission to determine whether or not enough evidence exists to draft articles of impeachment.
House Resolution 318 authorizes the House Judiciary Committee to conduct impeachment proceedings, if necessary, following the "investigative proceedings" that occur as part of the inquiry.
If the House passes articles of impeachment, Biden would become the fourth president in American history to be impeached. Presidents Andrew Johnson, Bill Clinton and Donald Trump were also impeached, although none of the impeachments resulted in their removal from office.
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In order to be removed from office in the event of formal impeachment proceedings, two-thirds of U.S. senators must vote to convict the president. This amounts to 67 of the 100 legislators serving in the body. Democrats currently control 51 seats in the upper chamber, while Republicans control 49. Given the partisan nature of the impeachment thus far and the current makeup of the U.S. Senate, it's unlikely that the effort to remove Biden from office via impeachment will succeed.
Ryan Foley is a reporter for The Christian Post. He can be reached at: [email protected]
