Study of the Impeachment Process
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FAKULTA SOCIÁLNÍCH STUDIÍ Study of the Impeachment Process Bakalářská práce ALEŠ POHL Vedoucí práce: doc. Andrew Lawrence Roberts, Ph.D. Katedra politologie obor Politologie Brno 2020 STUDY OF THE IMPEACHMENT PROCESS Bibliografický záznam Autor: Aleš pohl Fakulta sociálních studií Masarykova univerzita Katedra politologie Název práce: Studie procesu impeachmentu Studijní program: Politologie, bakalářský studijní program Studijní obor: Politologie Vedoucí práce: doc. Andrew Lawrence Roberts, Ph.D. Rok: 2020 Počet stran: 64 Klíčová slova: Proces impeachmentu, Impeachment, Prezident Spojených Států, Donald J. Trump, William J. Clinton, Robert Mueller, Kenneth Starr 2 STUDY OF THE IMPEACHMENT PROCESS Bibliographic record Author: Aleš pohl Faculty of Social Studies Masaryk University Department of Political Science Title of Thesis: Study of the Impeachment Process Degree Programme: Political Science, Bachelor’s degree programme Field of Study: Political Science Supervisor: doc. Andrew Lawrence Roberts, Ph.D. Year: 2020 Number of Pages: 64 Keywords: Impeachment process, Impeachment, US President, Donald J. Trump, William J. Clinton, Robert Mueller, Kenneth Starr 3 STUDY OF THE IMPEACHMENT PROCESS Abstrakt Tato bakalářská práce se zabývá problematikou procesu impeachmentu Prezidenta Spojených Států Amerických. Cílem práce je popsat a vysvětlit samotný institut impeachmentu a jeho historii a následně popsat a vysvětlit dva vzácné případy impeachmentu Williama J. Clintona a Donalda J. Trumpa, a to od jejich samotných počátků, celkový proces a jeho také jeho dopady. Závěrem práce je komparace těchto procesů a vysvětlení a komparace jejich hlavních bodů, událostí, procesů a osobností. 4 STUDY OF THE IMPEACHMENT PROCESS Abstract This bachelor thesis is dealing with the process of impeachment of the President of the United States of America. The aim of this thesis is to de- scribe and explain the institute of impeachment itself and its history, and subsequently describe the two rare cases of impeachment of William J. Clinton and Donald J. Trump, from the very beginning of the process, its progress, and its effects. Its closing part is the comparison of these pro- cesses and explaining and comparing their key points, events, proce- dures, and individuals. 5 STUDY OF THE IMPEACHMENT PROCESS Čestné prohlášení Prohlašuji, že jsem bakalářskou práci na téma Study of the Impeachment Process zpracoval sám. Veškeré prameny a zdroje informací, které jsem použil k sepsání této práce, byly citovány v textu a jsou uvedeny v seznamu použitých pramenů a literatury. V Brně 28. prosince 2020 Aleš pohl 7 STUDY OF THE IMPEACHMENT PROCESS Poděkování Chci poděkovat vedoucímu této bakalářské práce doc. Andrew Lawrenci Robertsovi, Ph.D., za jeho cenné poznatky, rady a připomínky, které umožnili vznik této práce, a jeho nekonečnou trpělivost v náročném roce a závěru studia. Šablona DP 3.0.6-FSS (2019-11-29) © 2014, 2016, 2018, 2019 Masarykova univerzita 9 TABLE OF CONTENTS Table of contents 1 Introduction 13 2 The Impeachment Process 15 2.1 History ........................................................................................................... 15 2.2 Impeachment as determined by the constitution ......................... 15 2.3 What are „high Crimes and Misdemeanors“? ................................. 17 2.4 How does impeachment work? ............................................................ 18 3 Impeachment of William J. Clinton 20 3.1 The Fiske-Starr Report ............................................................................ 20 3.2 Paula Jones ................................................................................................... 21 3.3 Linda Tripp ................................................................................................... 21 3.4 The case against William J. Clinton ..................................................... 22 3.5 The impeachment process of William J. Clinton ............................ 23 3.6 The Senate trial of William J. Clinton ................................................. 26 3.7 The aftermath of William J. Clinton’s impeachment .................... 28 4 Impeachment of Donald J. Trump 29 4.1 The Russia probe ....................................................................................... 29 4.2 The investigation of Rober S. Mueller ................................................ 31 4.3 The phone call ............................................................................................. 33 4.4 The Trump-Ukraine scandal .................................................................. 33 4.5 The case against Donald J. Trump ....................................................... 34 4.6 The impeachment process of Donald J. Trump .............................. 35 4.7 The Senate trial of Donald J. Trump ................................................... 36 4.8 The aftermatch of Donald J. Trump’s impeachment .................... 38 5 Comparison of Clinton’s and Trump’s impeachments 39 6 Conclusion 42 11 OBSAH Sources 44 Attachment A: Bill Clinton approval ratings 52 Attachment B: Donald Trump approval ratings 57 12 SOURCES 1 Introduction This thesis has been written shortly after the events of the successful impeachment of 2019. A presidency, which has been in a constant local and international spotlight since even before its start, has inevitably brought a vast amount of attention to the entire impeachment process. It has also found key similarities and differences between the two latest impeachments – that of Donald Trump in 2019, and of Bill Clinton from 1998. This thesis will be aiming to study, describe and explain the pro- cesses and results of the impeachment of William J. Clinton in 1998, as well as the events leading up to it. It will examine and explain the mo- tives, procedures, and results of not only the impeachment itself but also the surrounding factors, events and individuals and their strategies. And although Clinton’s impeachment has been already well described by many authors and political scientists, it has not yet been fully put to the side and compared with the most recent impeachment of Donald J. Trump. And as the events from the latest impeachment process are still very recent, the thesis will offer the same analysis and explanation of the impeachment of Donald J. Trump in 2019. Impeachment is one of the most vital tools of the constitution of the United States of America. It assures the possibility of bringing charges against a civil officer working for the country’s government or judicature. And although impeachment is a process that can be initiated against the President, Vice President, and all Civil Officers, like Judges or Governors (Constitution of the United States, Article II Section IV). For the purpose of this thesis, we shall be further discussing mainly the impeachment process involving the highest government official, the President of the United States. The first chapters will examine the core of the impeachment process as a legal process, its origins and functions, some of its more tricky parts, and the overall development of the process in both history and individual cases. The subsequent chapter will be fully focused on the impeachment process of William J. Clinton, following the case from its very roots, making its way through the initialy contained and separate parts of the story, that eventually merged into a story that was seen as enough to impeach the President. Followed by the impeachment process in the 13 SOURCES House of Representatives and trial in the Senate, the chapter is closed by the impacts that were following the whole process. The chapter about the impeachment of Donald J. Trump will be of very simmilar form. Following the President’s story from the beginning of where the allegations started to pick up, the chapter examines the main events that lead all the way to the beginning of the impeachment process, once again following it all the way to the aftermath of the proceeding. The last chapter offers a complete comparison of both of those historical events from start to finish, highlighting both their differences and similarities and explaining this comparison’s stance against the test of time. The thesis also offers three main questions being examined throughout the work: • What are the key differences between Clinton’s and Trump’s impeachment? • How come both presidents got acquitted in the Senate? • Was the impeachment process failed and in vain, or did it still make a difference? These, and other questions, will be answered in the following chapters. 14 SOURCES 2 The Impeachment Process 2.1 History “When our founders wrote about removing the president for “high crimes and misdemeanors”, they were thinking first and foremost of a commander in chief who wielded the powers of the presidency for the benefit of himself instead of the benefit of the people.” (Katyal, 2019, 10) The introduction of the impeachment process happened alongside the creation of the Constitution of the United States of America in 1787. The Revolutionary War with the British Empire has set the New World on a very different path than its counterparts on the Old Continent. A path without a King, without absolutism, without a sole leader with a right to act as he pleases, as he is blessed by the power from God himself. No, the newly built confederacy has chosen the way of democracy, without di- vine rulers and their subjects. It established a system, in which the power was vested in its citizens, and was merely bestowed to the government