Donald Trump impeachment process: Who becomes President if Trump is impeached? Ivanka?
MORE Democrats are now calling for Donald Trump to be impeached after the sacked FBI director claimed the president asked him shut down an investigation into Michael Flynn’s links to Russia.
Congressman Al Green calls for Trump to be impeached
In an explosive memo, former FBI boss James Comey said that Donald Trump asked him to “let go” of an investigation into his former national security adviser Michael Flynn.
The memo emerged a week after the US President fired the FBI director leading an investigation into Russia’s meddling in the election and possible contact with the Trump campaign.
Congressman Al Green is the latest Democrat to call for the impeachment of Mr Trump over the way the president sensatationally fired Mr Comey last week.
The Democrat yesterday told Congress: "I rise today...to call for the impeachment of the President of the United States of America for obstruction of justice."
In a statement, he said: “I have said on previous occasions, and do now say again, the President should be impeached… Our mantra should be ‘I. T. N. – Impeach Trump Now’.”
Amid the mounting controversy, leading Republican John McCain has said: ”I think it's reaching the point where it's of Watergate size and scale."
Mr Trump said in a statement there was no collusion between his campaign and "any foreign entity”.
What happens if Donald Trump is impeached?
In order to face impeachment, Mr Trump would need to be accused of “treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanours”.
If the House of Representatives votes to impeach the President, the Senate will hold an impeachment trial over whether convict the president and remove him from office.
Who becomes President if Donald Trump is impeached?
If Mr Trump was impeached, convicted by the Senate and expelled from office, Vice President Mike Pence would take the oath of office and replace him.
In the highly unlikely event of Mr Pence also being impeached then the Republican Speaker of the House, Paul Ryan, is next in line to become president.
Removal from office is unprecented because former Presidents Bill Clinton and Andrew Johnson were acquitted by the Senate despite being impeached.
The impeachment of Mr Trump would provoke outrage among his supporters, while Democrats would not support the ascension of Mr Pence to the presidency.
Mr Pence is long-serving Republican and traditional conservative whose evangelical Christian faith influences many of his political beliefs.
The former congressman is anti-abortion, once said gay marriage represents the “deterioration of family” and has denied climate change.
But the ex-governor of Indiana is trusted by the Republican Party establishment and Mr Ryan has described him a "personal friend”.
Will Donald Trump be impeached? Latest odds
The odds on Mr Trump leaving office before the end of his first term shortened on Tuesday night after the Comey memo emerged, according to bookmaker Betfair.
Betfair spokeswoman Katie Baylis yesterday said: “Overnight we’ve seen more than £5k bet on Trump to leave before the end of his first term and we expect to see a lot more bet today, with his odds now shortening from evens into 5/6.
“And many punters think it won’t be too long before he departs, with the odds of him leaving this year now into 12/5 from 11/2 – a 27% chance from 16% before the latest allegations.”
There are now 5/1 odds that he will leave office in 2018, 6/1 that he will exit in 2019 and 5/4 that he will stay until 2020 or later.
Could Ivanka Trump become president?
There is mounting speculation that Mr Trump’s eldest daughter Ivanka Trump could one day run for the presidency herself.
In a Channel 4 documentary aired this week, Ivanka was asked: “Should voters get their Ivanka 2024 campaign signs out?”
She replied. “No. Politics is a tough business.”
The Trump administration rejected claims of nepotism after Ivanka was appointed as an unpaid White House employee and adviser to her father.