TedTest

From the Ted Talk by Alex Gendler: How does impeachment work?

Unscramble the Blue Letters

For most jobs, it's understood that you can be fired, whether for crime, iccpnnmeotee, or just poor performance. But what if your job happens to be the most powerful position in the country, or the world? That's where impeachment comes in. Impeachment isn't the same as actually roimnevg someone from office. Like an indictment in criminal court, it's only the formal accusation that launches a trial, which could end in covniitcon or acquittal. Originating in the United Kingdom, impeachment allowed Parliament to vote for removing a grneovmnet official from office even without the king's consent. Although this was an important check on royal power, the king couldn't be iepcehmad because the monarch was cnoeirsded the source of all government power. But for the founders of the American Republic, there was no higher authority beyond the people themselves. And so impeachment was adopted in the United States as a pweor of Congress applying to any cviil oifercfs, up to and including the president. Although demands for impeachment can come from any members of the public, only the House of retesavretienps has the power to actually initiate the process. It begins by referring the matter to a committee, usually the House Committee on Rules and the House citoemmte on the Judiciary. These committees review the aicuocastns, examine the evidence, and issue a rmdoaoiecntmen. If they find sufficient godnurs to proceed, the House holds a separate vote on each of the specific charges, known as airtlces of Impeachment. If one or more passes by a simple majority, the ocfiiafl is impeached and the stage is set for trail. The actual trial that follows impeachment is held in the sanete. Selected members of the House, known as managers, act as the prictoeousn, while the impeached official and their lawyers present their defense. The Senate acts as both judge and jury, ctdncnouig the trial and delntiribeag after hearing all the arguments. If it's the president or vice president being impeached, the chief justice of the Supreme Court presides. A conviction requires a supermajority of two-thirds and results in aumoattic removal from power. Depending on the original chaegrs, it can also disqualify them from honldig office in the future and open them to standard criminal prosecution. So what exactly can get someone impeached? That's a bit more complicated. Unlike in the United Kingdom, impeachment in the U.S. pits an elected legislature against other draomlectcaliy elected members of government. Therefore, to prevent the process from being used as a political waepon, the cttusonition specifies that an official can only be impeached for treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors. That still leaves a lot of room for ieonirrtetpatn, not to mtonein politics, and many impeachment tlaris have split along partisan lines. But the process is generally understood to be reserved for serious abuses of power. The first official to be impeached was Tennesse Senator William Blount in 1797 for conspiring with Britain to cease the sapsnih colony of Louisiana. Since then, the House has launched impeachment investigations about 60 times, but only 19 have led to actual impeachment proceedings. The eight cases that ended in a conviction and removal from oicffe were all federal judges. And impeachment of a sitting president is even more rare. anerdw josohnn was impeached in 1868 for anpttmteig to replace Secretary of War Edwin stntoan without consulting the Senate. Over a century later, Bill Clinton was impeached for making false statements under oath during a sexual harassment trial. Both were ultimately acquitted when the Senate's votes to ccniovt fell short of the required two-thirds majority. And crnaroty to popular belief, Richard Nixon was never actually impeached for the Watergate scandal. He resigned before it could happen kninowg he would almost certainly be convicted. Theoretically, the U.S. government is already designed to penvert abuses of power, limiting different branches through a system of checks and balances, term limits, and free elections. But impeachment can be seen as an emergency brake for when these safeguards fail.

Open Cloze

For most jobs, it's understood that you can be fired, whether for crime, ____________, or just poor performance. But what if your job happens to be the most powerful position in the country, or the world? That's where impeachment comes in. Impeachment isn't the same as actually ________ someone from office. Like an indictment in criminal court, it's only the formal accusation that launches a trial, which could end in __________ or acquittal. Originating in the United Kingdom, impeachment allowed Parliament to vote for removing a __________ official from office even without the king's consent. Although this was an important check on royal power, the king couldn't be _________ because the monarch was __________ the source of all government power. But for the founders of the American Republic, there was no higher authority beyond the people themselves. And so impeachment was adopted in the United States as a _____ of Congress applying to any _____ ________, up to and including the president. Although demands for impeachment can come from any members of the public, only the House of _______________ has the power to actually initiate the process. It begins by referring the matter to a committee, usually the House Committee on Rules and the House _________ on the Judiciary. These committees review the ___________, examine the evidence, and issue a ______________. If they find sufficient _______ to proceed, the House holds a separate vote on each of the specific charges, known as ________ of Impeachment. If one or more passes by a simple majority, the ________ is impeached and the stage is set for _____. The actual trial that follows impeachment is held in the ______. Selected members of the House, known as managers, act as the ___________, while the impeached official and their lawyers present their defense. The Senate acts as both judge and jury, __________ the trial and ____________ after hearing all the arguments. If it's the president or vice president being impeached, the chief justice of the Supreme Court presides. A conviction requires a supermajority of two-thirds and results in _________ removal from power. Depending on the original _______, it can also disqualify them from _______ office in the future and open them to standard criminal prosecution. So what exactly can get someone impeached? That's a bit more complicated. Unlike in the United Kingdom, impeachment in the U.S. pits an elected legislature against other ______________ elected members of government. Therefore, to prevent the process from being used as a political ______, the ____________ specifies that an official can only be impeached for treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors. That still leaves a lot of room for ______________, not to _______ politics, and many impeachment ______ have split along partisan lines. But the process is generally understood to be reserved for serious abuses of power. The first official to be impeached was Tennesse Senator William Blount in 1797 for conspiring with Britain to cease the _______ colony of Louisiana. Since then, the House has launched impeachment investigations about 60 times, but only 19 have led to actual impeachment proceedings. The eight cases that ended in a conviction and removal from ______ were all federal judges. And impeachment of a sitting president is even more rare. ______ _______ was impeached in 1868 for __________ to replace Secretary of War Edwin _______ without consulting the Senate. Over a century later, Bill Clinton was impeached for making false statements under oath during a sexual harassment trial. Both were ultimately acquitted when the Senate's votes to _______ fell short of the required two-thirds majority. And ________ to popular belief, Richard Nixon was never actually impeached for the Watergate scandal. He resigned before it could happen _______ he would almost certainly be convicted. Theoretically, the U.S. government is already designed to _______ abuses of power, limiting different branches through a system of checks and balances, term limits, and free elections. But impeachment can be seen as an emergency brake for when these safeguards fail.

Solution

democratically
spanish
articles
convict
attempting
johnson
recommendation
contrary
conducting
civil
considered
mention
deliberating
interpretation
charges
weapon
prevent
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committee
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prosecution
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conviction
stanton
impeached
trials
office
andrew
incompetence
removing
official
constitution
trial
holding
power
senate
officers
knowing

Original Text

For most jobs, it's understood that you can be fired, whether for crime, incompetence, or just poor performance. But what if your job happens to be the most powerful position in the country, or the world? That's where impeachment comes in. Impeachment isn't the same as actually removing someone from office. Like an indictment in criminal court, it's only the formal accusation that launches a trial, which could end in conviction or acquittal. Originating in the United Kingdom, impeachment allowed Parliament to vote for removing a government official from office even without the king's consent. Although this was an important check on royal power, the king couldn't be impeached because the monarch was considered the source of all government power. But for the founders of the American Republic, there was no higher authority beyond the people themselves. And so impeachment was adopted in the United States as a power of Congress applying to any civil officers, up to and including the president. Although demands for impeachment can come from any members of the public, only the House of Representatives has the power to actually initiate the process. It begins by referring the matter to a committee, usually the House Committee on Rules and the House Committee on the Judiciary. These committees review the accusations, examine the evidence, and issue a recommendation. If they find sufficient grounds to proceed, the House holds a separate vote on each of the specific charges, known as Articles of Impeachment. If one or more passes by a simple majority, the official is impeached and the stage is set for trial. The actual trial that follows impeachment is held in the Senate. Selected members of the House, known as managers, act as the prosecution, while the impeached official and their lawyers present their defense. The Senate acts as both judge and jury, conducting the trial and deliberating after hearing all the arguments. If it's the president or vice president being impeached, the chief justice of the Supreme Court presides. A conviction requires a supermajority of two-thirds and results in automatic removal from power. Depending on the original charges, it can also disqualify them from holding office in the future and open them to standard criminal prosecution. So what exactly can get someone impeached? That's a bit more complicated. Unlike in the United Kingdom, impeachment in the U.S. pits an elected legislature against other democratically elected members of government. Therefore, to prevent the process from being used as a political weapon, the Constitution specifies that an official can only be impeached for treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors. That still leaves a lot of room for interpretation, not to mention politics, and many impeachment trials have split along partisan lines. But the process is generally understood to be reserved for serious abuses of power. The first official to be impeached was Tennesse Senator William Blount in 1797 for conspiring with Britain to cease the Spanish colony of Louisiana. Since then, the House has launched impeachment investigations about 60 times, but only 19 have led to actual impeachment proceedings. The eight cases that ended in a conviction and removal from office were all federal judges. And impeachment of a sitting president is even more rare. Andrew Johnson was impeached in 1868 for attempting to replace Secretary of War Edwin Stanton without consulting the Senate. Over a century later, Bill Clinton was impeached for making false statements under oath during a sexual harassment trial. Both were ultimately acquitted when the Senate's votes to convict fell short of the required two-thirds majority. And contrary to popular belief, Richard Nixon was never actually impeached for the Watergate scandal. He resigned before it could happen knowing he would almost certainly be convicted. Theoretically, the U.S. government is already designed to prevent abuses of power, limiting different branches through a system of checks and balances, term limits, and free elections. But impeachment can be seen as an emergency brake for when these safeguards fail.

Frequently Occurring Word Combinations

ngrams of length 2

collocation	frequency
house committee	2

Important Words

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