CNN Special Report

Presidents Under Fire: The History of Impeachment (2018x2)

: 02, 2018

Impeachment was intended by the Framers as a remedy of last resort, a defense from the tyranny of the British Crown, designed by its former citizens. But since its first use more than 150 years ago, impeachment has become such a normalized partisan weapon, that it has been seriously threatened against the last four presidents, and during campaigns against candidates before they are even elected. CNN’s Fareed Zakaria, host of the global public affairs program Fareed Zakaria GPS, will trace the history of why and how Article II, Section IV of the U.S. Constitution has been used, and will explore why constitutional historians feel America’s democracy may not be strong enough to withstand an exercise of this extraordinary check on presidential powers.