| 
 According
to Article II, Section 4 of the Constitution
of the United States, "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."
Article I, Section 2 of the Constitution of the United States grants the House
of Representatives the "the sole power of impeachment."
Although the Constitution does not elaborate on impeachment procedures, the established
House practice is to begin with a resolution authorizing the Judiciary Committee
to investigate the charges brought forth.
The House Judiciary Committee then holds hearings and investigates the charges.
 If
the Judiciary Committee's findings support the charges, it issues an impeachment
resolution, which includes Articles of Impeachment, to the full House. If the
committee believes impeachment is unwarranted, it issues a resolution stating
that it is unwarranted to the full House.
The resolution then goes to House floor for consideration. If the House adopts
any one of the Articles of Impeachment by a simple majority vote, the official
is considered impeached and the matter goes to the Senate for trial. 
Article I, Section 3 of the U.S. Constitution states: "The Senate shall have the
sole power to try all impeachments."
A fixed number of House members act as "managers", or prosecutors, at the Senate
trial. These managers are chosen either by the Speaker of the House or by ballot.
Traditionally, an odd number of managers, between 5-11, have been selected. They
include members from both parties who voted for impeachment.
The impeached official's lawyers will present his/her defense. He/she has the
right to testify and cross-examine witnesses, as in any criminal proceeding.
The full Senate will act as the jury.
If the trial involves the President of the United States, the Constitution states
that the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court shall preside over the trial.
At the trial's conclusion, the Senate meets in a closed session to discuss a verdict.
Each Senator is allowed 15 minutes of debate.
 The
Senate then votes in open session on each Article of Impeachment. A two-thirds
vote is required for conviction. If convicted, the Senate may hold a separate
vote to remove the impeached official from office. Such a vote is unnecessary
for the Constitution states the federal officials shall be removed from office
upon impeachment and conviction. If no article is approved by two-thirds of the
vote, the official is acquitted.
The Senate may also vote to disqualify the convicted official from holding future
federal office. This is decided by a majority vote. 
Debate
over the meaning of this phrase has existed since the framing of the Constitution.
Ultimately, Congress decides what constitutes "high crimes and misdemeanors".
In 1970, Rep. Gerald Ford, R-Michigan, succinctly summarized this point when he
stated: "An impeachable offense is whatever a majority of the House of Representatives
considers it to be at a given moment in history." | 
