Actually,
I believe it is the House which does have the
'authority' to begin impeachment proceedings.
http://usgovinfo.about.com/od/thepresidentandcabinet/a/impeachment.htm
The Impeachment Process
In the House of Representatives
•The House Judiciary Committee decides whether or not to proceed with impeachment. If they do...
. . . .
Impeachable Offenses
Article II, Section 4 of the Constitution says, "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." In his report, Independent Counsel, Starr accuses President Clinton of committing eleven acts for which he could be removed from office by impeachment. Are any of those acts "Treason, Bribery, or other High Crimes and Misdemeanors?" Well, that's up to the members of the House of Representatives. According to constitutional lawyers, "High Crimes and Misdemeanors" are (1) real criminality -- breaking a law; (2) abuses of power; (3) "violation of public trust" as defined by Alexander Hamilton in the Federalist Papers. In 1970, then Representative Gerald R. Ford defined impeachable offenses as "whatever a majority of the House of Representatives considers it to be at a given moment in history." An excellent definition, Mr. Former President. In the past, Congress has issued Articles of Impeachment for acts in three general categories:
•Exceeding the constitutional bounds of the powers of the office.
•Behavior grossly incompatible with the proper function and purpose of the office.
•Employing the power of the office for an improper purpose or for personal gain.
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