how do you impeach attorney general

by Ms. Bessie Bayer 4 min read

Can the Attorney General be impeached?

Attorneys General. While impeachment proceedings against cabinet secretaries are an exceedingly rare event, no office has provoked the ire of the House of Representatives more than that of Attorney General. During the first quarter of the 21st century, four Attorneys General have been subjected to the process.

How do you remove the US Attorney General?

The President of the United States has the authority to appoint U.S. Attorneys, with the consent of the United States Senate, and the President may remove U.S. Attorneys from office.

What branch of government can impeach?

Article I, Section 2, Clause 5: The House of Representatives shall chuse their Speaker and other Officers; and shall have the sole Power of Impeachment.

Which branch institutes Impeachment proceedings?

The Constitution gives the House of Representatives the sole power to impeach an official, and it makes the Senate the sole court for impeachment trials. The power of impeachment is limited to removal from office but also provides a means by which a removed officer may be disqualified from holding future office.

How powerful is the attorney general?

The Attorney General of the United States – appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate – heads the DOJ with its more than 100,000 attorneys, special agents, and other staff. It represents the United States in federal criminal and civil litigation, and provides legal advice to the President and Cabinet.

What are three ways the president can be removed from office?

The President, Vice President and all civil Officers of the United States, shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors.

Who Cannot be impeached?

The President, Vice President and all civil Officers of the United States, shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors.

How many signatures does it take to impeach a president?

The Constitution requires a two-thirds supermajority to convict a person being impeached. The Senate enters judgment on its decision, whether that be to convict or acquit, and a copy of the judgment is filed with the Secretary of State.

Has a vice president ever been impeached?

No United States vice presidents have been impeached. One has gone through an impeachment inquiry, however, without being formally impeached.

Are Supreme Court Justices impeachable?

The Constitution states that Justices "shall hold their Offices during good Behaviour." This means that the Justices hold office as long as they choose and can only be removed from office by impeachment.

Has any Supreme Court justice been impeached?

Of the eight votes cast, the closest vote was 18 for conviction/removal from office and 16 for acquittal in regards to the Baltimore grand jury charge. He is the only U.S. Supreme Court justice to have been impeached.

Can a Supreme Court justice be removed from office?

Like presidents and Cabinet members, federal judges can be removed from office through a similar process: impeached by the House and convicted in a trial by the Senate that would prompt removal from office.

What's the difference between US attorney and attorney general?

The president appoints U.S. attorneys, who mainly serve as administrators. Assistant U.S. attorneys handle the bulk of the trial work. The U.S. attorney general, who is the chief law enforcement officer in the United States and the head of the Department of Justice, has supervisory responsibility over U.S. attorneys.

What does the US attorney general investigate?

The Attorney General's responsibilities include safeguarding Californians from harm and promoting community safety, preserving California's spectacular natural resources, enforcing civil rights laws, and helping victims of identity theft, mortgage-related fraud, illegal business practices, and other consumer crimes.

Has an attorney general became president?

a governor of a state. a Cabinet secretary. a general of the United States Army....Other federal appointees.PresidentWilliam Howard TaftOfficeSolicitor GeneralPresident appointed byBenjamin HarrisonYear(s) served1890–18926 more columns

What does a state attorney general do?

They represent the State in all lawsuits and transactions for and against the State. They work and function in the same way as ordinary attorneys.

What happens if the Attorney General is impeached?

The same as president or any other officer of the United States, except that if Attorney General impeached, the chief justice would not preside.

Who has the power to try impeachment?

Section 3, Paragraph 6: “The Senate shall have the sole Power to try all Impeachments. When sitting for that Purpose, they shall be on Oath or Affirmation. When the President of the United States is tried, the Chief Justice shall preside: And no Person shall be convicted without the Concurrence of two thirds of the Members present.”

What does impeachment mean?

Of course what people forget is that the word “Impeachment” is basically just a fancy word for “indictment.” Now see, an indictment is not a conviction. It only means there is sufficient evidence for a prosecution to proceed to court. It is the Jury that determines guilt or innocence. In the case of Impeachment & Removal, it is the Senate that sits as the Jury. Therefore, to Impeach an Attorney General one would onl

Why did Trump use Rudy Giuliani and AG Barr interchangeably?

You know why Trump used "Rudy Giuliani" and "AG Barr" interchangeably in his conversation with President Zelensky of Ukraine? Because he sees no difference between the two. Rudy is his personal lawyer, whose purview falls into the private sector (i.e., his campaign, his business, his personal and political vendettas), and Barr is his personal attorney, whose purview is the entire law enforcement body of the United States government.

How much of the Senate can an impeached official be removed?

Any official that has been impeached may be convicted and removed by 66%+1 of the senate if it

Which article of the Constitution gives Congress the power to impeach the President?

Article II of the Constitution grants Congress the power to impeach “the president, the vice president and all civil officers of the United States.” The phrase “civil officers” includes the members of the cabinet (one of whom, Secretary of War William Belknap, was impeached in 1876).

Which article covers the powers and responsibilities of the Legislative Branch?

From Article 1 (Article one covers the powers and responsibilities of the Legislative Branch (US House of Representatives and Senate)):

Who has the power to impeach the President?

Congress has the power to impeach the "president, the vice president and all civil officers of the United States" for treason, bribery and other high crimes and misdemeanors, according to Article 2 of the Constitution. That includes Cabinet members like the attorney general.

Why is impeachment not used against cabinet members?

Impeachment is not commonly used against Cabinet members because they serve at the pleasure of the president, who can decide to fire them or force them to resign because of a scandal. But Donald Trump is not likely to push out Barr, who's proved himself to be a defender of presidential power and has even drawn comparisons to Roy Cohn, Trump's former personal attorney and fixer.

What did Castro say about Barr?

Democratic presidential candidate Julián Castro said on Tuesday night that Barr was "completely compromised" and "ought to resign or they should begin impeachment inquiry."

When will Barr testify?

Attorney General William Barr testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee on May 1. Some Democrats are calling for his impeachment over his handling of special counsel Robert Mueller’s report on the Russia investigation. Win McNamee/Getty Images

Is Barr facing impeachment?

William Barr is facing impeachment calls from Democrats over his handling of special counsel Robert Mueller's report on the Russia investigation, but experts warn that removing an attorney general is just as difficult as removing the president. In fact, it's never been done before.

Who questioned Barr on Mueller's report?

The next day, during an appearance before the Senate Appropriations Committee, Democrat Chris Van Hollen questioned Barr on how Mueller felt about the overall handling of the report.

Did Barr commit obstruction of justice?

Plus, Barr decided the president did not commit obstruction of justice after Mueller failed to make a final determination on the matter, despite providing evidence of possible criminal behavior.

What is the process of impeachment?

Impeachment is the constitutional process by which the United States Congress has the authority to remove civil officers of the United States from office. The process to impeach and remove an individual from office involves two stages: first, articles of impeachment are passed by a majority vote of the United States House of Representatives, ...

What about impeaching members of Congress?

U.S. Sen. William Blount of Tennessee was the first individual ever impeached by the United States House of Representatives and, to this day, is the only member of Congress ever to have been impeached. The House impeached Blount on July 7, 1797, for allegedly conspiring to incite Native Americans and frontiersmen to attack the Spanish lands of Florida and Louisiana in order to give them to England. After the impeachment vote in the House, but before Blount's impeachment trial in the Senate, the Senate voted to expel Blount under provisions of Article I, Section 5 of the United States Constitution. which gives each chamber the authority to expel a member by a two-thirds vote. Due to a lack of jurisdiction in Tennessee, where Blount fled after his conviction, the Senate could not extradite Blount for his impeachment trial. Two years later, in 1799, the Senate determined that Blount was not a civil officer under the definition of the Constitution and, therefore, could not be impeached. The Senate dismissed the charges against Blount for lack of jurisdiction. Since 1799, the House has not impeached another member of Congress.

What presidents have been impeached?

On February 24, 1868, President Andrew Johnson became the first sitting president to be impeached. Following Congress' passage of the Tenure of Office Act, forbidding the president from removing federal officials without the approval of Congress, Johnson fired Secretary of War Edwin Stanton and replaced him with Ulysses S. Grant. Johnson hoped to challenge the constitutionality of the Act. The House charged him with violating the Act and passed an impeachment resolution 126-47. Johnson was acquitted by the Senate on May 16, 1868, by a vote of 35-19, one vote short of two-thirds. Seven Republican senators broke ranks with the party to prevent Johnson's conviction.

What other executive branch officials have been impeached?

Secretary of War William Belknap was impeached on March 2, 1876, on charges of "criminally disregarding his duty as Secretary of War and basely prostituting his high office to his lust for private gain." The charges were passed by the House even though he had given President Ulysses S. Grant resignation papers earlier that day, and he stood trial before the Senate as a former government official, as agreed to by the Senate. He was acquitted of all charges on August 1, 1876. Following the trial, the Senate agreed not to hold trials for government officials who offered resignation.

How does the Senate vote on impeachment?

When the trial is concluded, the Senate meets in closed session to deliberate. Voting to convict on the articles of impeachment must be done in open session, and votes are tallied separately on each article . To convict on an article of impeachment, a two-thirds vote of senators present to vote is required. If the respondent is convicted on one or more of the articles, the presiding officer will pronounce the judgment of conviction and removal. The Senate may subsequently vote on whether the impeached official shall be disqualified from holding an office of public trust under the United States in the future. If the Senate considers such a motion, only a simple majority vote is required.

Why do impeachment grounds not fit neatly and logically into categories?

Congressional materials have cautioned that the grounds for impeachment 'do not all fit neatly and logically into categories' because the remedy of impeachment is intended to “reach a broad variety of conduct by officers that is both serious and incompatible with the duties of the office.' .

How many tickets were there for the impeachment trial?

Two tickets to the impeachment trial of Bill Clinton.

What is the role of the Attorney General?

Next to the president himself, the attorney general is the most crucial actor in the safeguarding of the rule of law. The Justice Department is an awesome force that holds the power to enable the ruling party to commit crimes with impunity, or to intimidate and smear the opposing party with the taint of criminality.

Who has Trump praised for his handling of the Barr report?

It is not much of a mystery to determine which officials have offered their full loyalty to the president. Trump has reportedly “praised Barr privately for his handling of the report and compared him favorably to former Attorney General Jeff Sessions” —whose sole offense in Trump’s eyes was following Department of Justice ethical protocol.

Why did Mueller say the President's efforts to influence the investigation were unsuccessful?

As Mueller wrote, the president’s “efforts to influence the investigation were mostly unsuccessful, but that is largely because the persons who surrounded the President declined to carry out orders or accede to his requests.”. This is a rather different gloss on the facts than the happy story Barr offered the press.

Where does the impeachment process start?

The impeachment process starts in the House of Representatives so they have to be in session before you can do anything. But, If it isn’t already, like right now, the Speaker of the House may assemble the members if two-thirds vote in favor of doing so.

What happens to the articles of impeachment?

At this point the impeached officer is suspended from performing their job until the outcome of the Senate Trial. The purpose of the trial is to prove or disprove any of the Articles of Impeachment sent by the House. And just like any trial, the Senate calls witnesses and considers evidence. But just like the House can create their own rules for impeachment, the Senate gets to define, by a majority vote, the policies and procedures that govern their trial.

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