From lawmakers struggling with the “high solemnity” of their votes to impeach Richard Nixon in 1974 to the “high farce” of the impeachment of Bill Clinton in 1998, each impeachment episode has its own distinct identity, according to CQ Roll Call contributor Finlay Lewis. 

In the latest Political Theater podcast, Lewis discusses his own coverage of Watergate for the Minneapolis Tribune and of the Clinton impeachment for Copley News. As the country gears up for another impeachment inquiry, there are some important echoes that Americans might want to heed. Sometimes things start with a so-called third-rate burglary. Sometimes they start with some weird real estate transactions in Arkansas. And sometimes they start with a phone call to Ukraine. Where they end can be anyone’s guess.

Show Notes: 

• House Democrats adopt rules for public impeachment proceedings
• Meet the two Democrats who broke with their party on impeachment
• Democrats seize advantages in proposed impeachment rules
• Impeachment on collision course with possible shutdown
• Democrats control narrative in impeachment inquiry
• Raja Krishnamoorthi steps up to impeachment role
• Democrats face consequences of skipping floor impeachment vote
• House Democrats enlist risky legal move in impeachment probe
• Freedom Caucus steps into the GOP messaging gap