The process of impeachment often arises in discussions around congressional action against a sitting president. But how does it work for other U.S. government officials?
What does the Constitution say about impeaching Cabinet secretaries? Cabinet secretaries are included in the part about “all civil Officers of the United States. Is impeaching Cabinet officers the same as it is for presidents? William W. Belknap, who served as war secretary for President Ulysses S. Grant, was the first Cabinet secretary to be impeached. The second Cabinet secretary to be impeached was Alejandro Mayorkas, who served as Homeland Security Secretary in the Biden administration. The Senate dismissed the case two months later, saying it didn’t meet constitutional standards, and Mayorkas continued to serve until President Joe Biden left office.
The same provision that allows Congress to impeach a president — Article II, Section 4 — also gives it the authority to impeach and remove federal officials, including Cabinet secretaries: “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. He resigned hours before the House voted to impeach him in 1876 on allegations he accepted bribes in a trading post scandal. The House narrowly voted to impeach Mayorkas in February 2024.
