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| Clinton - Trump - Johnson - (Reuters/AP/PhotoQuest) |
President Donald Trump on Wednesday night became only the third president in US history to be impeached, with the House of Representatives backing articles of impeachment that charged him with abuse of power and obstruction of Congress.
The House voted 230-197 in favor of an article accusing Trump of abuse of power and 229-198 in favor an article accusing him of obstruction of Congress. Both votes largely followed party lines.
Compared with the previous two impeachments in US history, Trump had more votes against him than either of his predecessors: Bill Clinton in 1998 and Andrew Johnson in 1868.
Clinton was impeached on charges related to a sexual-harassment lawsuit and for claims he lied under oath over his affair with the White House intern Monica Lewinsky.
He faced articles of impeachment of perjury and obstructing justice, both of which were passed by the House, with the following majorities:
- Perjury: 228 votes to impeach, 206 against.
- Obstruction of justice: 221 votes to impeach, 212 against.
Trump's two articles of impeachment each received slightly more support.
On a sheer numbers basis, Trump's impeachment was also more decisive than the vote against Johnson, who received 126 votes for his impeachment, 47 against, and 17 members who did not vote.
In the late 1800s, however, the US had only 37 states and the House was a smaller body. Proportionally, the vote against Johnson was stronger, with about 66% of representatives against him, compared with 52% against Trump.
Source: Business Insider
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