Who has the power to impeach a federal official?

The authority to impeach a federal official rests with the House of Representatives. This process is outlined in the U.S. Constitution, specifically in Article I, Sections 2 and 3. The House has the sole power to initiate impeachment proceedings, which typically involves drafting and passing articles of impeachment by a majority vote. Once the House votes to impeach, the process then moves to the Senate, which holds the trial to determine whether or not to remove the official from office.

This constitutional framework assigns the House the responsibility of bringing charges, reflecting the intent of the Founders to create a system of checks and balances. They believed that the more representative body, which is directly elected by the people, should initiate the impeachment process, while the Senate serves as a deliberative body to conduct the trial.

The other entities mentioned do not have this explicit authority — the Senate conducts the impeachment trial rather than initiating it; the Supreme Court serves as the judiciary and does not engage in impeachment processes; and the President does not have any power regarding impeachment of officials.