# Could a future Republican Congress "rescind" trump's impeachment? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [February 2, 2020, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-future-republican-congress-rescind-trumps-impeachment/847385 "2020-02-02T15:42:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![E-DUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/e-dub/32/403_2.png) [@E-DUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-DUB)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2020, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-future-republican-congress-rescind-trumps-impeachment/847385/1 "2020-02-02T15:42:11Z")
Not sure if this belongs here or in “General Questions”. Could this happen? Then they would claim that he should no longer count amongst “impeached presidents”. ---
**Author:** ![Hatchie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hatchie/32/3983_2.png) [@Hatchie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hatchie)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2020, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-future-republican-congress-rescind-trumps-impeachment/847385/2 "2020-02-02T17:08:29Z")
No. ---
**Author:** ![Hatchie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hatchie/32/3983_2.png) [@Hatchie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hatchie)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2020, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-future-republican-congress-rescind-trumps-impeachment/847385/3 "2020-02-02T17:09:34Z")
No. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2020, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-future-republican-congress-rescind-trumps-impeachment/847385/4 "2020-02-02T17:10:52Z")
Congress can pass a law that says that all dogs are now horses, but that won’t make it so. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2020, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-future-republican-congress-rescind-trumps-impeachment/847385/5 "2020-02-02T17:12:05Z")
wtf duplicate post ---
**Author:** ![Hatchie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hatchie/32/3983_2.png) [@Hatchie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hatchie)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2020, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-future-republican-congress-rescind-trumps-impeachment/847385/6 "2020-02-02T17:14:06Z")
Me too. The board is rusty today. ---
**Author:** ![UltraVires](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecccb3/32.png) [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2020, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-future-republican-congress-rescind-trumps-impeachment/847385/7 "2020-02-02T17:37:26Z")
The Senate expunged the censure of Andrew Jackson: [U.S. Senate: Andrew Jackson's Censure Expunged](https://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/common/image/JacksonCensureExpunged.htm) Does that “count”? That’s up to history and to individuals. Legally if something is expunged it is as if it never happened. However, it is a fiction as nobody has an MIB mind zapper. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2020, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-future-republican-congress-rescind-trumps-impeachment/847385/8 "2020-02-02T21:37:01Z")
As long as the First Amendment remains intact, an American will have to right to say “Bullshit!” to anyone claiming “rescindment” has occurred. That won’t stop the claims, of course, but at least an honest assessment will still be possible. As long as the First Amendment remains intact, I should stress. ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2020, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-future-republican-congress-rescind-trumps-impeachment/847385/9 "2020-02-02T22:22:09Z")
But, nothing prohibits a future Congress from passing a resolution saying that it made a grievous error in some previous action. Let’s say the next House of Representatives does that. It is not like there is some official record of history that then goes down the memory hole. Anyone who reads a history book will know that the House voted to impeach Trump, and that action cannot be taken away. There would just be a follow-on sentence that a later House tried to reverse that decision. I don’t think that would really change our understanding of recent events in any particular way. ---
**Author:** ![RioRico](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f04885/32.png) [@RioRico](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RioRico)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2020, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-future-republican-congress-rescind-trumps-impeachment/847385/10 "2020-03-03T04:39:08Z")
Once impeached, always impeached, even if not convicted. Impeachment is indictment, a presentation of charges, and it’s in the Congressional Record where it will remain. Yes, a future GOP-controlled House of Minions could pass a motion saying “Oh those nasty Dems, they didn’t kiss Der Fuhrer’s smooth heinie, we’re so sorry they embarrassed our God-Emperor, and we’re glad they’ve been executed.” But the record remains the record.