Mounting Congress calls in US for Trump impeachment

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON (AA) - As President Donald Trump continues his first foreign trip he has left behind mounting calls at home for his removal from office.

The largely Democratic impeachment requests -- unusually early into Trump’s term -- have been prompted by concerns about alleged misconduct during his first four months in office.

Trump’s dismissal of former FBI Director James Comey amid a bureau investigation into his campaign’s alleged collusion with Russia, and reported request that Comey halt an investigation into a former top official, have led many to seek the American president’s impeachment.

And some Republicans are steadily moving closer to backing their Democratic colleagues in calling for Trump's removal.

It that were to happen, Trump would face legislative trials that are exceptionally rare.

Bill Clinton and Andrew Jackson are the only presidents to face such proceedings.

Both were acquitted.

Seeking to avoid a nearly certain conviction, Richard Nixon resigned from office shortly into his second term, passing the presidency to Gerald Ford.

An impeachment entails bringing charges against an official, but the trial is not conducted in court. Instead it is carried out in the 100-member Senate.

Before it can head to the upper chamber, the House of Representatives must pass a resolution on articles of impeachment, and can either vote on each article or the collection as a whole.

- Senate majority

Only a simple majority is required to pass the House.

If the charges make their way through the chamber, the Senate then takes up proceedings in a trial that includes witnesses and cross-examinations, and during which the accused can present a defense.

In order to be convicted, the Senate must vote in support by a two-thirds majority.

If convicted, the impeached official is automatically removed from office and may be subject to an additional criminal trial.

Given Republican control of both chambers of Congress, it would take a damning revelation for Trump’s party to sufficiently swing against him in support of impeachment.

In the House, Republicans hold a wide 238-193 majority. And in the Senate their control is significantly weaker, but a majority nonetheless, holding 52 seats in the 100-member chamber.

In the unlikely event Trump is impeached and convicted in the Senate, Vice President Mike Pence would likely take the reigns.

In contrast to Trump’s business first persona, the staunch religious conservative would mark a dramatic shift.

Trump had largely eschewed America’s religious right, placing Pence on his presidential ticket to attract the key demographic, which until that point had been lukewarm at best toward the billionaire.

Following Pence in the presidential line of succession would be Speaker of the House Paul Ryan.

- Succession

More so than Trump, Ryan represents the mainstream of the Republican Party.

He has worked to unify his party’s fractured caucus in the House of Representatives, seeking to rally the party’s conservative and libertarian factions on several occasions, most importantly on their effort to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act.

President Pro Tempore of the Senate Orrin Hatch would be next.

The Ohio senator is the longest serving Republican in the Senate, having been in the chamber for four decades.

He has served as president pro tempore since 2015.

After Hatch is Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, the former ExxonMobil chief executive. He has a lengthy history in the fossil fuel industry and was trained as an engineer before climbing the ranks at ExxonMobil.

He had no government experience prior to Trump’s decision to nominate him to lead American diplomacy.

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin is fifth in line for the presidency. He had led a diverse career including roles in banking and the film industry before coming to the Treasury.

Defense chief James Mattis follows Mnuchin in succession. The only non-Republican on this list, Mattis has developed an almost cult-like following in the Marine Corps where he served from 1969-2013.

During that time he earned the nickname “Warrior Monk” for his scholarly approach to war.