Impeaching the President

Past, Present, and Future

Alan Hirsch

• Publisher: City Lights Publishers
• Year: 2018
• Print ISBN: 9780872867628
• eBook ISBN: 9780872867635
• Topic: Politics & International Relations
• Subtopic: Political Process
• Index: Politics & International Relations

" Impeaching the President is lucid, balanced, and deeply informed. Anyone in search of a reasoned guide to the unreason of our current situation should read it."— Elizabeth Kolbert, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Sixth Extinction

"Ousting a president is a complicated and uncertain endeavor, according to this perceptive study of impeachments. … [This book] shrewdly assesses the impeachability of President Trump based on his alleged offenses. … Hirsch's lucid prose and careful analysis make the book a fine corrective to cavalier popular rhetoric surrounding discussions of impeachment."— Publishers Weekly

"A masterpiece for the masses."— Ralph Nader

"Amid the partisan passion, an illuminating primer of analysis and context lowers the temperature on this hot-button issue.... A cogent analysis that builds a common-sense case for proceeding with caution and against using impeachment as a partisan weapon."— Kirkus Reviews

" The reader gets a hearty mix of American history, political intrigue, and constitutional law, all adhered with Hirsch's amazing writing. He captures the political chaos surrounding each prior case, yanking the reader out of our present exceptionalism to see the evolution of impeachment with the proper context and clarity. Can't recommend it enough."— Travis Cohen, Brookline Booksmith, MA

"In an era when the notion of impeachment is tossed around as the ultimate political indictment, Alan Hirsch guides us with a steady hand through our own history to consider the three presidents who faced that ultimate punishment. This is a sober, precise, and carefully argued analysis that should be read by every member of Congress—and every president."— David K. Shipler, former reporter for the New York Times and Pulitzer Prize recipient

"Alan Hirsch brings clarity, wisdom, and wit to a contentious and critical subject. Impeaching the President is must reading for all concerned citizens."— Howard Shapiro, former FBI General Counsel

"Incredibly readable, well-researched, analytically sound and important."— Alan B. Morrison, Associate Dean for Public Interest & Public Service at the George Washington Law School

Donald J. Trump is only the third president in U.S. history to be impeached.

Constitutional scholar Alan Hirsch offers clear and to-the-point guidance for all matters relating to removing a sitting president, including: the Founders' vision for checking presidential power; the impeachment stories of presidents Andrew Johnson, Richard Nixon, and Bill Clinton; wrongdoing in the Trump administration; and the availability of the 25th Amendment and presidential self-pardon.

Illustrated throughout with historical engravings, photographs, and other impeachment documentation, this concise, timely, and accessible analysis offers an invaluable perspective on how the Constitution provides stability during times of political upheaval.

Table of contents

• Cover Page
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Contents
• Introduction
• 1. First Principles
• 2. Andrew Johnson Survives
• 3. Down Goes Nixon
• 4. The Clinton Predicament
• 5. “Unable to Discharge”
• 6. Lessons
• 7. The Case of Trump
• Conclusion
• Endnotes
• Acknowledgments
• About the Author
• Back Cover