Analysis of Clinton Impeachment Charges

The Constitution says that a President may be impeached for "Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors" (Art II, Section 4). The two specified crimes (treason and bribery) both relate to acts of a President that constitute a serious abuse of his official power. Some people have drawn from this the conclusion that illegal acts of a President that do not relate to his office are not impeachable offenses (but could instead be the basis for a prosecution after he leaves office). Yet the matter cannot be so clear. Hardly anyone, for example, believes that if a President were determined to have committed murder or rape a year before taking office, this would not be a sufficient basis for impeachment. Also, it should be noted, some actions that are not crimes at all, such as being in a constant state of drunkenness or abandoning Washington for a six-month vacation in Aruba, are undoubtedly appropriate reasons to impeach.