202113 The U.S. House of Representatives voted to pass the impeachment clause against President Trump, formally accusing him of "sedition". Trump became the first president in American history to be impeached twice.
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In America, impeachment is not a criminal trial, but a political trial. The effect of impeachment judgment is generally limited to dismissal and deprivation of the party's qualification to hold honorary, responsible and paid public office. Therefore, the handling of the impeachment case does not affect the necessary criminal trial according to law. However, criminal trials should be conducted after impeachment. In addition, those who are acquitted in impeachment trials cannot be put on criminal trial.
On the other hand, the Chief Executive has the right to pardon or mitigate criminal conviction, but has no right to pardon or mitigate impeachment conviction.
The greatest significance of the separation of impeachment trial and criminal trial lies in the separation of politics and law. Judicature can only influence politics through law, but cannot undertake the function of direct participation in politics. This is a crucial link in the separation of powers system.
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Baidu encyclopedia-impeachment