Since Richard Nixon resigned rather than face a House impeachment vote after Watergate, the

U.S. has seen three impeachments and three trials, none of which has resulted in a conviction or

voluntary resignation. What do Watergate and the Clinton and Trump episodes tell us about the

circumstances in which impeachment might remain a meaningful check on a President’s abuse of

power? Peter Shane pursues the basics of impeachment law with constitutional scholar Michael

Gerhardt and then interviews former Congresswoman Elizabeth Holtzman, a key figure on the

1973-74 House Judiciary Committee, regarding her experience in the Watergate investigation

and perspective on more recent impeachment episodes.