A key paragraph in the articles of impeachment against Trump mentions disqualifying him from ever running for office again

trump america first
trump america first

AP Photo/Evan Vucci

  • Even if President Donald Trump is impeached and removed from office, he could still be eligible for reelection in 2020, per Article I, Section 3 of the US Constitution, as Insider's Grace Panetta reported.

  • One key passage in the articles of impeachment drafted by House Democrats and released on Tuesday, however, mentions disqualifying Trump from holding future office — a move that would require a second simple-majority vote in the Senate after impeachment.

  • "President Trump thus warrants impeachment and trial, removal from office, and disqualification to hold and enjoy any office of honor, trust, or profit under the United States," the passage on page five of the articles of impeachment says.

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The House on Tuesday introduced two articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump accusing him of abusing his power and obstructing Congress. The Constitution lays out the consequences of impeachment as far as unseating and indicting an official, but impeachment itself does not prevent the official from running for office in the future.

At the end of the first article of impeachment on page five (which pertains to abuse of power), however, there is a paragraph that nods to the 2020 election. It says:

"Wherefore President Trump, by such conduct, has demonstrated that he will remain a threat to national security and the Constitution if allowed to remain in office, and has acted in a manner grossly incompatible with self-governance and the rule of law. President Trump thus warrants impeachment and trial, removal from office, and disqualification to hold and enjoy any office of honor, trust, or profit under the United States."

This paragraph is significant for two reasons, as pointed out by The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal.

First, "by emphasizing that Mr. Trump 'will remain a threat,' the Democrats are trying to counter the argument that since it is just 11 months until the next election, the matter ought to be left to the voters to decide," The Times' Peter Baker wrote in an annotation of the articles of impeachment. "In effect, they suggest the crime is continuing."

Second, The Journal highlighted a particular phrase (emphasis ours): "President Trump thus warrants impeachment and trial, removal from office, and disqualification to hold and enjoy any office of honor, trust, or profit under the United States."

Impeachment requires a simple majority in the House of Representatives. The process then moves to the Senate, which holds a trial. The Senate then votes whether to remove a president from office, which requires a two-thirds majority in the Senate. Disqualification from running for office would then take a second vote in the Senate — one that requires only a simple majority to pass, according to The Journal.

"Such a vote would mean that he wouldn't be able to run for office again; without it, Mr. Trump could theoretically be removed from office but still allowed to run for reelection," The Journal said.

But while Trump is widely expected to be impeached over one or both of the two charges, he is far less likely to be removed by the Senate, which consists of 53 Republicans, 45 Democrats, and two independents who caucus with Democrats.

Read the original article on Business Insider