Bill Clinton was impeached in 1998 for perjury and obstruction of justice

Donald Trump was impeached in 2019 for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress

The House charged President Trump with pressuring Ukraine to investigate political rival Joe Biden while withholding military aid. The Senate acquitted him in February 2020, with only one Republican voting to convict.

Presidents can be impeached for 'treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors'

The Constitution empowers the House to impeach a president by a majority vote and the Senate to convict by a two-thirds vote. Three presidents—Andrew Johnson, Bill Clinton, and Donald Trump (twice)—were impeached, though none were removed from office.

Donald Trump was impeached a second time for incitement of insurrection after Jan. 6

Following the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack, the House impeached Trump for inciting violence against the US government. The Senate acquitted him on Feb. 13, 2021. He is the only president who has been impeached twice.

President Andrew Johnson was mainly impeached for obstructing Reconstruction

In 1868, the House impeached Andrew Johnson for violating the Tenure of Office Act and obstructing congressional Reconstruction policies. Johnson was the first president ever to be impeached, surviving conviction and removal in the Senate by a single vote.

Experience famous images from the Watergate scandal, the defining US political crisis of the early 1970s

See some of the most controversial pardons in presidential history

From Lincoln's selective commutations of Dakota men after an 1862 uprising, to Ford's pardon of Richard Nixon after Watergate, and Bill Clinton's final-day clemency decisions, pardons have long sparked fierce debate over justice, political favoritism, and presidential power.

Ford became the first and only president to pardon his predecessor

President Gerald Ford issued a "full, free, and absolute" pardon to Nixon on Sept. 8, 1974, covering any crimes committed between Jan. 20, 1969, and his resignation—effectively ending legal proceedings and making Nixon the first president ever pardoned by his successor.

Watch the breaking news report of the revelation that brought down the Nixon presidency

In August 1974, following a unanimous Supreme Court ruling, the White House released the "smoking gun" tape—revealing Nixon's role in the cover-up. Watch the CBS News report from Aug. 5, 1974, detailing the fallout from the release of the tapes.

Nixon's landslide in the 1972 presidential election

Despite the Watergate break-in becoming public in June 1972, voters largely shrugged it off. On Nov. 7, 1972, Richard Nixon still achieved a historic landslide—winning 520 out of 538 electoral votes, carrying 49 states—making it one of the largest Electoral College victories in US history.

Watch President Nixon's resignation speech

With impeachment looming, President Richard Nixon gave a televised Oval Office address. Watch this famous address in which Nixon announced his resignation due to the Watergate scandal—becoming the first and only president to resign from office.

The Watergate scandal took 2 years to unfold

Beginning with the June 17, 1972, break-in, the scandal progressed through Senate hearings in 1973 and the explosive revelation of Oval Office tapes, and culminated in Nixon's resignation by August 1974.

Congress can remove federal officials through impeachment

The United States House of Representatives has the sole power to impeach federal officials. The United States Senate then conducts impeachment trials and decides whether to convict and remove them from office.

Watergate led to the prosecution of nearly 50 individuals

Watergate ushered in sweeping changes. Agencies were required to release information openly; officials had to disclose finances transparently; and new laws limited conflicts of interest, established independent ethics oversight, and safeguarded presidential records—curbing abuse and boosting accountability.

Watergate-era reforms restricted the power of the presidency

Watergate ushered in sweeping changes. Agencies were required to release information openly, officials had to disclose finances transparently, and new laws limited conflicts of interest. The reforms also established independent oversight of ethics and safeguarded presidential records, curbing abuse and boosting accountability.

The 22nd Amendment set a 2-term limit on the presidency

Ratified in 1951, the amendment states that no person may be elected president more than twice. It also specifies that a vice president who assumes office midterm may serve up to 10 years in total.

Views on the Nixon pardon softened over time

Americans initially rejected Ford's September 1974 pardon of Nixon—38% approved it versus 53% disapproved—but by 1986, a slim majority (54%) believed it was the right call, showing that public sentiment softened over more than a decade after the controversy.

Hamilton publicly admitted to an affair to rebut corruption charges

In 1797, Alexander Hamilton published the Reynolds Pamphlet, confessing to an extramarital affair and blackmail payments to disprove accusations of financial corruption—clearing his name legally but ruining his reputation.

The War Powers Act of 1973 was passed over Nixon's veto to limit the president's ability to wage war unilaterally

Passed in the aftermath of the Vietnam War, the War Powers Resolution requires the president to notify Congress within 48 hours of deploying forces and to end military operations within 60 days without congressional approval. Nixon vetoed the bill, arguing it was unconstitutional, but Congress overrode his veto.

Washington was elected unanimously twice to the presidency

George Washington was unanimously elected in 1789 and 1792, with every presidential elector casting one of their two votes for him (at the time, each elector cast two votes). He accepted the office reluctantly, seeing it as a duty rather than an ambition.

Watch a news clip from the evening of 'the Saturday Night Massacre'

On Oct. 20, 1973, President Nixon ordered the firing of Special Prosecutor Archibald Cox—prompting the resignations of Attorney General Elliot Richardson and Deputy AG William Ruckelshaus. This NBC News Special Report shows the immediate aftermath of the decision.

Presidents from both parties have resisted the authority of the War Powers Act

Presidents from both parties have treated the War Powers Resolution as voluntary, framing compliance as seeking "support" rather than "permission." Courts have declined to rule on the law's constitutionality each time a related case was brought before them.

Nixon argued that the War Powers Resolution unconstitutionally restricted his authority

In his veto message, Nixon argued that the resolution would dangerously curtail the president's ability to respond to international crises and that only a constitutional amendment could properly define the limits of executive war powers. Congress disagreed and overrode the veto.

Presidents can veto laws—and Congress can override them

A president may veto legislation passed by Congress, but a two-thirds vote in both the House and Senate can override it. For most presidents, only a small share of their vetoes have been successfully overturned.

John Marshall presided over Aaron Burr's 1807 treason trial

During the 1807 trial of former Vice President Aaron Burr, Marshall required proof of an overt act witnessed by two people to sustain a treason charge. His rulings limited executive influence and reinforced constitutional standards for conviction under Article III.

How former President Nixon's visit to China shifted geopolitics

While Richard Nixon may be best remembered for Watergate and the disintegration of his presidency, his visit to China in 1972 stands as a triumph of his administration. Learn about the president's visit to Beijing (then referred to as Peking), his methods and approach, and the subsequent opening of diplomatic ties with China.

DeWitt Clinton’s “Big Ditch” gamble transformed New York

Mocked as “Clinton’s Folly” and “Clinton’s Big Ditch,” New York Gov. DeWitt Clinton championed the Erie Canal against skeptics. His political drive secured funding for the project in 1817.

Gerald Ford is the only president never elected to the office

Ford's ascent to the nation's highest office was a direct consequence of the unprecedented political upheaval caused by the Watergate scandal. Initially appointed vice president in October 1973 after Spiro Agnew's resignation, Ford assumed the presidency less than a year later, in August 1974, following Richard Nixon's resignation.

President Bush addressed the nation on 9/11 from the Oval Office, watched by an estimated 80 million people.

In 1992, sports betting was outlawed in places where it wasn't already legal

On Oct. 29, 1992, then-President George HW Bush signed the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act, outlawing sports gambling where it was not already legal.

See the White House bowling alley in use

First installed in 1947 for President Harry Truman, the White House bowling alley was later moved to the basement of the Executive Office Building. President Nixon, an avid bowler, added a new one-lane alley beneath the White House in 1973.

In 2015, FIFA's decades-old bribery network was exposed

In 2015, the US Department of Justice exposed a 24-year bribery network influencing broadcast rights and votes on World Cup host cities. Over 40 officials were indicted for accepting bribes. FIFA implemented several reforms, including term limits for presidents and council members and salary disclosures in 2016.

Grand juries were once considered a formality, but that may no longer be the case

New York's former chief judge famously said a prosecutor could get a grand jury to "indict a ham sandwich," showing how rarely a grand jury refused. However, recent cases in which prosecutors failed to secure an indictment during the second Trump administration are challenging that assumption.

The Senate must approve top presidential appointments

Under Article II of the Constitution, the United States Senate provides "advice and consent" on presidential nominees. This resource displays the outcome of every Cabinet nomination since Jimmy Carter's presidency and every Supreme Court nomination in US history.

Ulysses S. Grant unsuccessfully attempted to run for a third term in 1880

After serving two terms from 1869 to 1877, Grant sought the Republican nomination again in 1880. Though he led the early convention ballots, party opposition blocked him, and James A. Garfield ultimately emerged as the nominee.

Since 1800, every president has lived and worked in the White House

John Adams became the first president to live in the White House when it was completed in 1800. Since then, every American president has used it as both a residence and the official seat of executive power.

The White House was almost entirely rebuilt from 1948 to 1952

Structural failure forced President Harry Truman to vacate the White House in 1948. Engineers gutted the building, keeping only its exterior walls, and rebuilt the interior with a new steel frame, modern utilities, and reinforced foundations by 1952.

President Trump has changed decades-long norms for the DOJ during his second term

The Trump administration made changes to ethics oversight, instructed US attorneys to coordinate with the White House, dismissed cases, and overhauled the career hiring process in the Civil Rights division. The administration asserts these changes were justified and aimed to end what they claim as the weaponization of government.

The Nixon administration tried and failed to stop the press from publishing the Pentagon Papers

In 1971, the Supreme Court ruled against the government's attempt to block The New York Times and The Washington Post from publishing classified documents on the Vietnam War, delivering a landmark victory for press freedom.

Some Watergate reforms may have fueled today's partisan, confrontational Congress

The newly elected officials after the Watergate scandal dismantled seniority norms, opened committee votes, and televised proceedings—efforts aimed at increasing transparency that, unintentionally, may have fueled the polarized and combative tone of today's Congress.

The Supreme Court blocked states from setting term limits for Congress

In US Term Limits v. Thornton (1995), the Supreme Court struck down state laws that tried to impose term limits on their congressional delegations. The court ruled such restrictions unconstitutional unless added through a federal amendment.

'Presidential Reconstruction' attempted rapid reunification with minimal federal oversight

Led by Andrew Johnson after Lincoln's death, Presidential Reconstruction (1865-67) quickly restored Southern governments through mass pardons and lenient terms, allowing ex-Confederates to regain power and pass Black Codes that restricted freedpeople's rights.

The president's powers are defined in Article II of the US Constitution

Article II establishes the presidency, outlining powers to command the military, sign or veto legislation, appoint officials, and conduct diplomacy—many of which are intended to be checked by other branches of government.

Hamilton's endorsement helped win Jefferson the presidency

In the 1800 presidential election, neither candidate won a majority in the Electoral College, sending the decision to the House of Representatives. After 36 failed votes, Alexander Hamilton lobbied for his ideological rival, Thomas Jefferson, over Aaron Burr, helping break the deadlock.

Conspiracy theories persist around Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s 1968 assassination

Despite multiple investigations—including FBI inquiries and a 1979 House committee report—questions and conspiracy theories have continued to surround the 1968 assassination of Dr. King long after his assassin’s conviction.

The Supreme Court has greatly expanded executive power in recent years

In Trump v. United States, the court ruled that a former president enjoys absolute immunity for "official acts" in his constitutional core powers. In Trump v. CASA, Inc., the court limited federal courts' ability to block executive enforcement through nationwide injunctions—decisions that shifted power toward the executive branch.

Amid the aftermath of Watergate, Gerald Ford declared that the state of the union was 'not good'

In his first State of the Union in January 1975, President Ford departed from the usual optimism, bluntly acknowledging recession, inflation, and public distrust as the country worked to recover from Nixon's resignation and the Watergate scandal.

Congress selected the president in 1801 and 1825

In a contingent election, the United States House of Representatives is constitutionally required to choose the president, with each state delegation casting one vote when no candidate secures a majority of the electoral votes.

The disputed 1876 Presidential election accelerated the end of Reconstruction

The 1876 election between Rutherford B. Hayes and Samuel J. Tilden ended in a deadlock over contested Southern votes. To resolve the crisis, Democrats accepted Hayes's presidency in exchange for the withdrawal of federal troops—formally ending Reconstruction.

John and Abigail Adams were the first to live in the White House, which was largely unfinished

President John Adams moved into the unfinished White House on Nov. 1, 1800, followed by first lady Abigail Adams, who used the East Room to dry laundry. The building lacked heat and plaster, with construction continuing for months.

The Constitution grants Congress more powers than the president

Article I outlines detailed congressional powers—taxation, spending, war declarations, and lawmaking—while Article II gives the president limited, broadly defined authority. This design reflects the framers' intention to prevent executive overreach.