<P> The Constitution defines impeachment at the federal level and limits impeachment to `` The President , Vice President , and all civil officers of the United States '' who may be impeached and removed only for `` treason , bribery , or other high crimes and misdemeanors '' . Several commentators have suggested that Congress alone may decide for itself what constitutes a `` high crime or misdemeanor '' , especially since Nixon v. United States stated that the Supreme Court did not have the authority to determine whether the Senate properly `` tried '' a defendant . In 1970 , then - House Minority Leader Gerald R. Ford defined the criterion as he saw it : `` An impeachable offense is whatever a majority of the House of Representatives considers it to be at a given moment in history . '' </P>
who can be removed through process of impeachment
The President Vice President all civil officers of the United States