Fact check: What are the constitutional grounds for impeaching a President for treason?

1. Summary of the results

The constitutional grounds for impeaching a President for treason are clearly established in Article II, Section 4 of the U.S. Constitution. According to multiple sources, this provision states that "the President, Vice President, and all civil Officers of the United States shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors" ^{[1] [2] [3] [4]}.

Treason is explicitly listed as one of the three constitutional grounds for impeachment, alongside bribery and "other high crimes and misdemeanors" ^{[1] [5] [4]}. The impeachment process involves the House of Representatives having the sole power to impeach, while the Senate has the sole power to convict and remove from office ^{[2] [5]}. The process typically begins with an investigation in the House Judiciary Committee and can lead to a trial in the Senate ^[6].

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

The original question focuses specifically on treason but lacks important context about the broader impeachment framework. The analyses reveal that while treason and bribery are clearly defined constitutional grounds, the phrase "high crimes and misdemeanors" has been subject to significant interpretation challenges ^{[7] [8]}.

There are competing interpretations of what constitutes impeachable offenses:

• Some argue that impeachment should be limited only to indictable crimes
• Others believe it covers serious wrongdoing by the President that harms the United States, including non-indictable crimes ^{[7] [8]}

The analyses indicate that "high crimes and misdemeanors" is generally understood to cover serious wrongdoing that harms the United States, but this open-ended language has caused difficulty in interpretation throughout American history ^[8]. This interpretive flexibility means that different political parties and legal scholars may have vastly different views on what constitutes impeachable conduct beyond the clearly defined crimes of treason and bribery.

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

The original question itself does not contain misinformation or bias - it is a straightforward inquiry about constitutional law. However, the question's narrow focus on treason alone could potentially mislead readers into thinking treason is the primary or most common ground for presidential impeachment.

In reality, the analyses show that treason is just one of three constitutional categories, and the "other high crimes and misdemeanors" category has been the subject of most impeachment debates throughout American history ^{[7] [8]}. Political actors from both parties would benefit from emphasizing different interpretations of impeachment grounds depending on their partisan interests - those seeking to impeach a president would favor broader interpretations of "high crimes and misdemeanors," while those defending a president would argue for narrower, crime-specific interpretations.