The correct answer to this question is letter C, high crimes and misdemeanors.Article II, Section 4 of the Constitution of the United States of America lays out offenses that are cause for impeachment:
- 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.
In 2019, President Donald Trump was impeached for committing what the House of Representatives deemed to be high crimes and misdemeanors. A formal House of Representatives inquiry alleged that:
- President Trump solicited foreign interference to aid his re-election bid during the 2020 United States Presidential Campaign
- President Trump and his administration obstructed the House of Representatives' inquiry by ignoring subpoenas for testimony and documents
- President Trump withheld military aid to Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky to pressure Ukraine to announce an investigation into one of Trump's political opponents (Democratic candidate Joe Biden) and support the false theory that Ukraine (and not Russia) was responsible for the outside interference in the 2016 presidential election.
On December 13, 2019, the House of Representatives voted 23 to 17 to recommend two articles of impeachment, for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. His impeachment trial was then heard by the Senate, where President Trump was acquitted on both counts of impeachment on February 5, 2020.
Learning Point: President Trump was impeached by the House of Representatives in 2019 on the charge of committing high crimes and misdemeanors (abuse of power and obstruction of Congress). He was subsequently acquitted by the Senate in 2020.
