"The House of Representatives...shall have the sole Power of Impeachment."
Comment: The Framers were concerned that federal officials would not monitor each other. As a result, the Framers wanted a tool that would allow Congress to discipline those who abused their constitutional duties, while at the same time preserving the separation of powers between the branches. In working their way through the issue, one delegate made a proposal that allowed for Congress to remove the President if requested by a majority of the State legislators. However, that proposal was rejected on the grounds that it would subject the President to the manipulation of the States. In the end, the Framers decided to go with what most of the States' constitutions were following.
As expected, the Framers wanted the "sole Power" of bringing charges of impeachment to be vested in the Legislature, because that branch is closest to the people. The Constitution is silent on how the House is to initiate impeachment proceedings; so, early on a Member would rise on the floor and propose impeachment, which would then be assigned to a committee. Currently, Members of the House Judiciary Committee initiate impeachment proceeding with recommendations to the whole House. If the House approves an impeachment resolution, then the Chairman of the Judiciary Committee recommends "managers," which the House also approves by resolution, who then become prosecutors in the trial in the Senate.
Although it seems reasonable to presume that House has some sort of affirmative duty to monitor officials, most experts agree that because the House is vested with the "sole Power," a decision whether to initial impeachment proceeds is not reviewable by the Courts. In any event, only a few impeachments have occurred. In fact, the House has only moved seriously to impeach 18 officials in the more than 200 years since the Constitution was ratified, including two presidents (Andrew Johnson and William Clinton, both acquitted in the Senate; Nixon resigned prior to the House voting), one cabinet member, one senator, and 13 judges.
Primary Source. The Heritage Guide to the Constitution.
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