While public discussions around congressional impeachment usually center on a sitting president, the constitutional mechanism extends to a broader array of federal leadership.
asserted
mechanism → center → leadership
The same provision that allows Congress to impeach a president — Article II, Section 4 — also gives it the authority to impeach and remove federal officials, including Cabinet secretaries:
asserted
Congress → allow → secretaries
“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.”
asserted
President → remove → Impeachment
Cabinet secretaries are included in the part about “all civil Officers of the United States.”
asserted
secretaries → include → States
There's no strict definition of “high crimes and misdemeanors,” and it isn't necessarily akin to violation of a criminal statute or court conviction.
asserted
it → be → statute
Historically, for presidents and other officials, impeachment has been used to address abuses of official power and breaches of public trust.
asserted
impeachment → use → trust
Is impeaching Cabinet officers the same as it is for presidents?
asserted
it → impeach → presidents
Cases originate in the House of Representatives, with the introduction of a resolution or a committee investigating allegations.
asserted
Cases → originate → allegations
The House investigates alleged misconduct and decides whether to formally charge an official through articles of impeachment.
asserted
House → investigate → impeachment
If that happens, and a simple majority of the House votes to impeach, then the Senate holds a trial.
asserted
Senate → happen → trial
For presidents, how that trial is conducted is explicitly set out in the Constitution, with the chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court presiding.
asserted
justice → conduct → Court
It's not as clear for Cabinet secretaries as to who oversees the proceedings.
asserted
who → oversee → proceedings
If a Cabinet official is impeached, is he removed from office?
No.
asserted
he → impeach → office
It takes a conviction to do that.
asserted
It → take → that
Just like for presidents, saying that someone has been impeached is basically a formal accusation, not a conviction.
asserted
someone → say → presidents
A secretary who has been impeached by the House can continue serving while the Senate considers the charges.
asserted
Senate → impeach → charges
How much of Congress has to agree for a Cabinet secretary to be removed?
asserted
secretary → have → Congress
It takes a simple majority in the House to technically impeach a Cabinet secretary.
asserted
It → take → secretary
But for a conviction in the Senate, it takes a two-thirds vote, a significantly higher threshold.
asserted
it → take → vote
William W. Belknap, who served as war secretary for President Ulysses S. Grant, was the first Cabinet secretary to be impeached.
asserted
who → serve → Grant
He resigned hours before the House voted to impeach him in 1876 on allegations he accepted bribes in a trading post scandal.
asserted
he → resign → scandal
He was subsequently acquitted by the Senate.
asserted
He → acquit → Senate
The second Cabinet secretary to be impeached was Alejandro Mayorkas, who served as Homeland Security Secretary in the Biden administration.
asserted
who → impeach → administration
The House narrowly voted to impeach Mayorkas in February 2024.
asserted
House → vote → February
The Senate dismissed the case two months later, saying it didn't meet constitutional standards, and Mayorkas continued to serve until President Joe Biden left office.
asserted
Biden → dismiss → office
The Aporia
