{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"160 The History of Impeachment","description":"This week at In The Past Lane, the American History podcast, I speak with historian Jeffrey A. Engel, co-author of \u201cImpeachment: An American History.\u201d With all the talk about impeachment over the past two years, this seems like a superb moment to do an episode on the history of this rarely-used constitutional mechanism. In the course of our discussion, Jeffrey Engel explains: Why the Founders\u2019 fear of potential abuse of power by a president or high government official led them to include an impeachment provision in the US Constitution.  Why the Founders made a key distinction between maladministration \u2013 essentially doing a bad job as president \u2013 and actions taken by the president that harm the nation. Only the latter required impeachment. How the Founders meant by \u201chigh crimes and misdemeanors\u201d actions that might not be illegal, but are judged to be harmful to the nation. Why Republicans decided to impeach President Andrew Johnson in 1868 and how Johnson\u2019s own actions and personality played a key role in his near removal from office. What Richard Nixon did to merit the commencement of impeachment proceedings against him \u2013 a process he avoided by resigning. How in the aftermath of Watergate, Congress changed the rules to allow future special prosecutors investigating alleged presidential wrongdoing greater freedom and independence. And how that reform led to the wide-ranging investigation of President Bill Clinton that started with a sketchy land deal in Arkansas and ended up focused on an affair between the president and a 22-year old intern named Monica Lewinsky. And in turn, how that experience led to new rules that restricted the independence of special prosecutors, leading to the current day complaints by some that SC Robert Mueller was not allowed to fully investigate the many charges against President Trump. And, finally, what it means that we might soon witness the third impeachment effort in the last 50 years, after having only one impeachment in the first 185 years of the nation\u2019s history. Recommended reading:  Jeffrey Engel, et al, Impeachment: An American History (Modern Library Press) Howard Fields, High Crimes and Misdemeanors: The Nixon Impeachment\u2014 Roadmap for the Next One Richard A. Posner, An Affair of State: The Investigation, Impeachment, and Trial of President Clinton David O. Stewart, Impeached: The Trial of President Andrew Johnson and the Fight for Lincoln's Legacy Cass R. Sunstein, Impeachment: A Citizen\u2019s Guide Jeffrey Toobin, A Vast Conspiracy: The Real Story of the Sex Scandal That Nearly Brought Down a President Laurence Tribe and Joshua Matz, To End a Presidency: The Power of Impeachment Brenda Wineapple, The Impeachers: The Trial of Andrew Johnson and the Dream of a Just Nation More info about Jeffrey Engel - website    Follow In The Past Lane on Twitter  @InThePastLane Instagram  @InThePastLane Facebook: InThePastLanePodcast YouTube: InThePastLane   Music for This Episode Jay Graham, ITPL Intro (JayGMusic.com) Kevin McCleod, \u201cImpact Moderato\u201d (Free Music Archive) Andy Cohen, \u201cTrophy Endorphins\u201d (Free Music Archive) Blue Dot Sessions, \u201cSage the Hunter\u201d (Free Music Archive) Jon Luc Hefferman, \u201cWinter Trek\u201d (Free Music Archive) The Bell, \u201cI Am History\u201d (Free Music Archive) Production Credits Executive Producer: Lulu Spencer Technical Advisors: Holly Hunt and Jesse Anderson Podcasting Consultant: Dave Jackson of the School of Podcasting Podcast Editing: Wildstyle Media Photographer: John Buckingham Graphic Designer: Maggie Cellucci Website by: ERI Design Legal services: Tippecanoe and Tyler Too Social Media management: The Pony Express Risk Assessment: Little Big Horn Associates Growth strategies: 54 40 or Fight \u00a9 In The Past Lane, 2019 Recommended History Podcasts  Ben Franklin\u2019s World with Liz Covart @LizCovart The Age of Jackson Podcast @AgeofJacksonPod Backstory podcast \u2013 the history behind today\u2019s headlines @BackstoryRadio Past Present podcast with Nicole Hemmer, Neil J. Young, and Natalia Petrzela @PastPresentPod 99 Percent Invisible with Roman Mars @99piorg Slow Burn podcast about Watergate with @leoncrawl The Memory Palace \u2013 with Nate DiMeo, story teller extraordinaire @thememorypalace The Conspirators \u2013 creepy true crime stories from the American past @Conspiratorcast The History Chicks podcast @Thehistorychix My History Can Beat Up Your Politics @myhist Professor Buzzkill podcast \u2013 Prof B takes on myths about the past @buzzkillprof Footnoting History podcast @HistoryFootnote The History Author Show podcast @HistoryDean More Perfect podcast - the history of key US Supreme Court cases @Radiolab Revisionist History with Malcolm Gladwell @Gladwell Radio Diaries with Joe Richman @RadioDiaries DIG history podcast @dig_history The Story Behind \u2013 the hidden histories of everyday things @StoryBehindPod Studio 360 with Kurt Andersen \u2013 specifically its American Icons series @Studio360show Uncivil podcast \u2013 fascinating takes on the legacy of the Civil War in contemporary US @uncivilshow Stuff You Missed in History Class @MissedinHistory The Whiskey Rebellion \u2013 two historians discuss topics from today\u2019s news @WhiskeyRebelPod American History Tellers \u200f@ahtellers The Way of Improvement Leads Home with historian John Fea @JohnFea1 The Bowery Boys podcast \u2013 all things NYC history @BoweryBoys Ridiculous History @RidiculousHSW The Rogue Historian podcast with historian @MKeithHarris The Road To Now podcast @Road_To_Now Retropod with @mikerosenwald ","author_name":"In The Past Lane - The Podcast About History and Why It Matters","author_url":"http:\/\/www.InThePastLane.com","html":"