Is there anything Congress can do to “punish” President Clinton short of impeachment?
Ames, IA – 6/30/00 Impeachment is the only option presented in the Constitution. However, Congress could theoretically censure or reprimand the President by adopting a resolution condemning his behavior. The House and Senate could adopt separate censure resolutions, or both chambers could adopt the same concurrent resolution. The resolution would serve simply as a public statement of rebuke. It could not contain any binding sanctions nor any legal mandates. The Senate censured a President once; but the censure was removed from the official record three years later. The House has never voted to censure a President. In 1834, President Andrew Jackson became the target of a Senate censure resolution in an early precursor to “executive privilege.” Jackson had withheld from the Senate papers they wished to inspect regarding the rechartering of the second Bank of the United States. Jackson’s response to the censure was simply to refuse to accept the rebuke, and continue his policies. When Pre
