HOUSE. DASHA BURNS LOOKS BACK AT HOW
THE HOUSE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE
HANDLED THOSE INQUIREYIES OF.
>> Reporter: AFTER 2 1/2 MONTHS
OF HEARING TESTIMONY, WE REACHED
THE NEXT STEP IN THE IMPEACHMENT
INQUIRY AGAINST PRESIDENT TRUMP.
>> AYE.
>> AYE. >> AYE.
>> AYE. >> Reporter: THE HOUSE JUDICIARY
COMMITTEE HAS APPROVED TWO
ARTICLES OF IMPEACHMENT, MAKING
TRUMP ONLY THE FOURTH PRESIDENT
IN U.S. HISTORY TO FACE
IMPEACHMENT PROCEEDINGS IN THE
HOUSE.
HOUSE. BEFORE THE ENTIRE HOUSE VOTES ON
IMPEACHMENT, LET’S TAKE A STEP
BACK TO SEE HOW TRUMP’S
SITUATION COMPARES TO PAST
PRESIDENTS, STARTING WITH ANDREW
JOHNSON.
JOHNSON. JOHNSON’S IMPEACHMENT WAS A
DIFFERENT TIME AND THE JUDICIARY
COMMITTEE DIDN’T PLAY AS AN
IMPORTANT A ROLE.
IN 1867 THE COMMITTEE CONDUCTED
AN INVESTIGATION AND ENDED UP
RECOMMENDING IMPEACHMENT IN A
5-4 VOTE.
5-4 VOTE. THE COMMITTEES WERE MUCH SMALLER
BACK THEN.
BACK THEN. INTERESTINGLY, THE BROADER HOUSE
REJECTED THAT REPORT BUT THE
SEEDS OF DISCONTENT WERE PLANT.
WHEN JOHNSON DISMISSED HIS
SECRETARY OF WAR THE NEXT YEAR
THE HOUSE IMPEACHED HIM.
THE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE PLAYED A
MORE CENTRAL ROLE IN NIXON.
NIXON WAS NEVER ACTUALLY
IMPEACHED.
IMPEACHED. HE RESIGNED BEFORE THE HOUSE HAD
A CHANCE TO VOTE BECAUSE NIXON
KNEW HE LOST SUPPORT FROM THE
REPUBLICAN PARTY.
REPUBLICAN PARTY. THAT WASN’T ALWAYS THE CASE.
WHEN THE HOUSE JUDICIARY
COMMITTEE STARTED INVESTIGATING
NIXON, THERE WAS MIXED SUPPORT
WITHIN THE GOP.
FOLLOWING THE SATURDAY NIGHT
MASSACRE WHEN NIXON FIRED
SPECIAL PROSECUTOR ARCIBALD COX.
EVEN SOME DEMOCRATS STILL
SUPPORTED NIXON.
SUPPORTED NIXON. HISTORIANS BELIEVE THIS IS
BECAUSE MEMBERS OF CONGRESS
FEARED REPERCUSSIONS WITH VOTERS
BACK HOME.
BACK HOME. MEANWHILE, SUPPORT FOR
IMPEACHMENT GREW ACROSS AMERICA
IN THE YEAR LEADING UP TO
NIXON’S RESIGNATION.
NIXON’S RESIGNATION. AND THE HOUSE JUDICIARY
COMMITTEE ULTIMATELY APPROVED
THREE ARTICLES OF IMPEACHMENT
WITH ONLY SEVEN REPUBLICANS
BREAKING PARTY LINES IN TOTAL.
BUT THINGS REALLY REACHED A
BREAKING POINT ONLY A FEW DAYS
LATER WHEN NIXON TURNED OVER HIS
OVAL OFFICE TAPES.
ONCE REPUBLICANS SAW CLEAR
EVIDENCE THAT NIXON HELPED COVER
UP WATERGATE, PARTY LEADERS WENT
TO THE WHITE HOUSE TO TELL NIXON
HE COULD NO LONGER SURVIVE THE
IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY.
IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY. HE ANNOUNCED HIS RESIGNATION THE
NEXT DAY.
NEXT DAY. >> I SHALL RESIGN THE PRESIDENCY
EFFECTIVE AT NOON TOMORROW.
>> Reporter: FINALLY, LET’S LOOK
AT THE ONLY OTHER EXAMPLE
HISTORY HAS GIVEN US, AND IT’S
MAYBE THE CLOSEST PARALLEL TO
TODAY -- BILL CLINTON.
INITIALLY THERE WAS SOME
DEMOCRATIC SUPPORT FOR AN
IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY.
IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY. 31 HOUSE DEMOCRATS VOTED
ALONGSIDE REPUBLICAN MEMBERS TO
OPEN AN INVESTIGATION.
BUT BY THE TIME IMPEACHMENT
PROCESS REACHED THE STAGE IN
CLINTON’S CASE, SUPPORT AND
OPPOSITION FOR IMPEACHMENT WAS
FALLING ALMOST COMPLETELY ALONG
PARTY LINES.
PARTY LINES. REPUBLICANS HAD CONTROL OF THE
HOUSE AND THE HOUSE JUDICIARY
COMMITTEE APPROVED FOUR ARTICLES
OF IMPEACHMENT.
OF IMPEACHMENT. CLINTON WAS INITIALLY ADVISED TO
RESIGN, BUT HE REFUSED AND,
INSTEAD, CAME OUT WITH A PUBLIC
APOLOGY, WHICH SATISFIED LEADERS
OF HIS PARTY.
>> I WANT TO SAY, AGAIN, TO THE
AMERICAN PEOPLE, HOW PROFOUNDLY
SORRY I AM.
>> Reporter: DEMOCRATS DID SAY
THE PRESIDENT DID SOMETHING
WRONG BUT HE DIDN’T DESERVE
REMOVAL FROM OFFICE FOR AN
EXTRA-MARTIAL AFFAIR.
EXTRA-MARTIAL AFFAIR. SOME DEMOCRATS’ ARGUMENTS
SOUNDED A LOT LIKE WHAT
REPUBLICANS ARE SAYING TODAY.
>> THERE MUST NEVER BE A
NARROWLY VOTED IMPEACHMENT OR AN
IMPEACHMENT SUBSTANTIALLY
IMPEACHMENT SUBSTANTIALLY SUPPORTED BY ONE OF OUR MAJOR
POLITICAL PARTIES AND LARGELY
OPPOSED BY THE OTHER.
>> Reporter: WHILE SOME OF
TODAY’S BIGGEST OPPONENTS OF
TODAY’S IMPEACHMENT SANG A
DIFFERENT TUNE.
DIFFERENT TUNE. >> THE DAY RICHARD NIXON FAILED
TO ANSWER THE SUBPOENA IS THE
DAY HE WAS SUBJECT TO
IMPEACHMENT BECAUSE HE TOOK THE
POWER FROM CONGRESS.
>> Reporter: THE HOUSE OPENLY
VOTED YES ON TWO ARTICLES OF
IMPEACHMENT, PERJURY AND
OBSTRUCTION OF JUSTICE.
ONLY FIVE DEMOCRATIC
REPRESENTATIVES VOTED AGAINST
CLINTON.
CLINTON. CLINTON WAS THEN PUT ON TRIAL
AND THE REPUBLICAN-CONTROLLED
SENATE BUT HERE NOT A SINGLE
DEMOCRAT VOTED TO REMOVE HIM
FROM OFFICE.
FROM OFFICE. THEY DIDN’T REACH A TWO-THIRDS
MAJORITY AND HE WAS ACQUITTED.
IMPEACHMENT IS SUCH A RARE
OCCASION IN HISTORY.
I MEAN, WE ONLY HAVE THREE
HISTORICAL EXAMPLES TO LOOK TO.
WHILE NO PRESIDENT HAS EVER BEEN
REMOVED FROM OFFICE THROUGH THIS
PROCESS, IT DID RESULT IN
NIXON’S RESIGNATION.
NIXON’S RESIGNATION. LOOKING AT HISTORY, WHAT DOES
SEEM TO BE THE BIGGEST DECIDING