I usually write about our nation’s economy, but I could not resist this subject.
In the wake of President Trump firing James Comey, much has been mentioned about President Nixon and his “Saturday Night Massacre”. However, there was another president, Andrew Johnson, who got Congress so worked up over some of his firings, it passed a law prohibiting him from doing any further without Senate approval. Called the Tenure of Office Act, he defied it with the firing of Secretary of War Edwin Stanton. He tried to smooth over disgruntled Senators by appointing U.S. Grant to succeed him. Grant actually accepted but soon resigned. Congress finally had enough and the House had him impeached.
See this link for an account from the PBS show American Experience.
Johnson was later acquitted (by one vote) by the trial held in the Senate. FYI, Bill Clinton was also impeached by the House and acquitted by the Senate, but his charge was lying under oath (not the scandal itself, but his testimony afterwards).
Who Mr. Trump nominates to succeed Comey should be interesting (and perhaps, sadly, entertaining). The US Constitution says the President can be impeached for “Treason, Bribery or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors (Article II, Section IV). There is still a lot of first term left for anything to happen.
