How does the impeachment process operate across the House and Senate?

• A. The Senate conducts the impeachment by simple majority; the House tries the case and can convict with a two-thirds vote.
• B. The House impeaches by simple majority; the Senate conducts the trial and can convict with a two-thirds vote; impeached official can be removed.
• C. The President alone can conduct impeachment proceedings.
• D. Impeachment requires a three-fourths vote in both houses.

Answer: (B)

Impeachment is a two-stage process that uses both chambers to check executive and other federal officials. The House brings charges by passing articles of impeachment with a simple majority, acting as the inspector who formalizes the claim that an official should be scrutinized.

The Senate then holds the trial. This is a different kind of proceeding from the impeachment vote in the House. Conviction requires a two-thirds vote of the Senate, and if convicted, the official is removed from office. In presidential cases, the trial is presided over by the Chief Justice; in other cases, the presiding officer of the Senate leads the proceedings. A conviction can also lead to disqualification from future office.

So the essential flow is: simple majority in the House to impeach, then a Senate trial with a two-thirds vote to convict and remove. The President doesn’t conduct impeachment proceedings, and a three-fourths requirement in both houses isn’t how impeachment works.