Latest Impeachment News | Miller Center

Expert discusses impact of possible second impeachment against Pres. Trump

With House Democrats priming to vote on articles of impeachment against President Trump this week, a presidential scholar from the University of Virginia says the action carries major historic significance. No matter the outcome of this second impeachment attempt, even introducing it means we’re in uncharted territory. Presidents Johnson, Clinton, and Trump were all impeached and ultimately not convicted, but this week could mark the first time a sitting president has been tried two separate times. Barbara Perry, director of presidential studies at UVA Miller Center of Public Affairs, says a second attempt is actually not about removing Trump from office - because impeachment will not be concluded by Inauguration Day, January 20 - it’s about what happens to him after he leaves the White House.

Barbara Perry

Explaining the 25th Amendment: William Antholis joins C-SPAN

On Friday, two days after a mob supporting President Donald Trump stormed the U.S. Capitol, William Antholis, director and CEO of the University of Virginia’s Miller Center of Public Affairs, went on C-SPAN to discuss the 25th Amendment. In the aftermath of Wednesday’s insurrection, both Republican and Democrat lawmakers have called on Vice President Mike Pence to invoke the amendment, which outlines provisions for a vice president to declare a president unfit for office and become the acting president. Antholis discussed the text of the amendment and its history, characterizing it as an attempted fix to a lingering question from the days of America’s founding: What happens if a president becomes incapable of carrying out his or her duties?

William Antholis

Calls to remove the U.S. president from office grow louder

Melody Barnes, director of UVA's Democracy Initiative, is interviewed on CBC.

Melody Barnes

Governance

Blocking the transition is risking American lives

Biden needs to be able to begin planning, especially during a crisis.

Melody Barnes and Kathryn Dunn Tenpas

The Washington Post

Diplomacy on trial: Ambassador William Taylor

On November 13, 2019, acting ambassador William Taylor publicly testified in the impeachment inquiry of President Donald Trump. He was called as one of the first witnesses by House Democrats because, as the top U.S. diplomat in Ukraine, he had a unique perspective. Ambassador Taylor testified about his role in both the official and unofficial negotiations with Ukraine over releasing military and diplomatic assistance to that country, in their ongoing conflict with Russia. During his vivid testimony, he stated that “withholding security assistance in exchange for help with a domestic political campaign in the United States would be crazy.” Join us for an in-depth conversation with Ambassador Taylor about Ukraine, Russia, corruption, and the state of U.S. political institutions. Moderated by Miller Center Director William Antholis.

William Antholis

The Trump impeachment episode: Party wars and the Constitution

The House impeachment and Senate trial of President Trump—only the third episode of its kind in American history—raise a number of fascinating and troubling questions about American democracy. Did the Trump administration’s actions warrant Congress’ use of this rarely invoked constitutional authority? Did the hope of many scholars and pundits that impeachment would educate the American people about the dangers of executive power disintegrate into partisan theater? How did the Trump impeachment compare with the impeachment investigations of Andrew Johnson, Richard Nixon, and Bill Clinton? How will the impeachment and acquittal of Trump affect his and future presidents' exercise of executive power? How will the Trump impeachment—the first to charge a president running for reelection—affect the 2020 election?

Sidney Milkis