上个月，美国议员对川普总统发起了弹劾调查。
The move is unusual in American history. Only three out of 44 U.S. presidents have faced impeachment. But so far, none of them has ever been convicted and removed from office.
此举在美国历史上非比寻常。在44位美国总统中，只有3位总统受到了弹劾。但是截止目前为止，他们都没有被定罪并免职。
Andrew Johnson
安德鲁·约翰逊
The possibility of impeaching top public officials for treason or other high crimes is written in the U.S. Constitution. A majority of delegates to the Constitutional Convention approved the process in 1787. But lawmakers did not first use it against a president until more than 80 years later.
高级公职人员可能因为叛国罪或其它严重罪行受到弹劾写入了美国宪法。参加制宪会议的大多数代表于1787年批准了这一程序。但是议员们直到80多年后才首次对一位总统发起弹劾。
At that time, the country was recovering from a civil war. President Andrew Johnson clashed repeatedly with some members of Congress. They disagreed about civil rights for newly freed slaves, and about how to deal with the southern states that had left the union.
当时，美国正从内战中恢复。安德鲁·约翰逊总统与一些国会议员多次发生冲突。他们在新释放奴隶的公民权利以及如何对待脱离美利坚联盟国的南方各州上未能达成一致。
To limit the president's power, Congress passed a rule saying the president could not remove a Cabinet official without the approval of lawmakers. Johnson showed his objection to the rule by dismissing a Cabinet member while Congress was out of session.
为了限制总统权力，国会通过了一项规定，称总统未经议员批准不得罢免内阁官员。约翰逊在国会闭会期间解雇了一名内阁成员，以此作为对这项规定的反对。
Lawmakers answered the move in 1868 by impeaching Johnson for violating the rule. They also noted their disapproval of some of the angry public statements he made. They added charges that he "had brought disgrace and ridicule to the presidency," writes historian Elizabeth Varon of the University of Virginia.
作为回应，议员们在1868年弹劾约翰逊违反了这条规定。议员们还指出，他们不同意约翰逊发布的一些愤怒的公开声明。弗吉尼亚大学历史学家伊丽莎白·瓦伦写道，议员们还指控约翰逊“给总统宝座带来了耻辱和嘲笑。”
The case went to the Senate for trial. A number of senators were ready to vote to remove Johnson from office. However, the president's lawyers argued that his actions were not really "high crimes." Senators also knew that if Johnson were removed, he would be replaced by a politician many did not like. In the end, they voted to let him keep his job – but only by one vote.
该案进入到参议院审理。许多参议员准备投票赞成将约翰逊免职。但是总统的律师辩称，他的行为并非“严重罪行。”参议员还获悉，如果约翰逊被免职，他将被一位很多人不喜欢的政客取代。最后，他们投票决定让他继续任职，但是只投了一票。
Johnson did not seek another term as president.
约翰逊没有寻求连任。
Richard Nixon
理查德·尼克松
For more than a hundred years, the U.S. House of Representatives did not bring impeachment articles against another president.
接下来的一百多年里，美国众议院都没有对另一位总统发起弹劾。
Then, in 1974, House members charged President Richard Nixon with asking people who worked for him to commit illegal acts. Among them were secret efforts to try to find damaging information about Nixon's opponents. The president was also charged with trying to block the government's investigation into his actions.
然后到了1974年，众议院议员指控理查德·尼克松总统命令手下工作人员为他实施违法行为。其中包括试图找出有关尼克松对手破坏性信息的秘密行动。尼克松还被指控试图阻止政府对他的行为展开调查。
For several years during the investigation, many politicians and voters had supported Nixon. The president even won re-election in 1972. But in time, more evidence about Nixon's abuses of power were made public. Lawmakers in his own party decided they could no longer support him. One party leader visited Nixon and warned that, if the case went to trial, more than two-thirds of the senators would vote to convict him.
在调查期间的几年里，许多政客和选民一直支持尼克松。尼克松甚至在1972年赢得了连任。但是随着时间推移，关于尼克松滥用权力的更多证据被公开。他所在政党的议员们决定不再挺他。一位党魁拜访了尼克松并警告称，如果这起案件进入审理阶段，超过2/3的参议员都会投票将他定罪。
Nixon decided to resign instead and turn his job over to the vice president. He returned to private life as, in the words of Miller Center researcher Ken Hughes, a broken man. But he later re-entered public life, wrote books and advised later presidents.
尼克松决定辞职，将工作移交给副总统。用米勒中心研究员肯·休斯的话来说，他作为一位精神潦倒的男子回归了私人生活。但是他后来重新进入了社会生活，他写了书，并且为后来的总统出谋划策。
Bill Clinton
比尔·克林顿
In 1998, House members again approved articles of impeachment. This time they were against President Bill Clinton.
1998年，众议院议员再次批准了弹劾条款。这次他们瞄准了比尔·克林顿总统。
The articles charged him with lying under oath about his relationship with a 25-year-old woman who worked at the White House. They also charged him with blocking investigations by interfering with witnesses.
这些弹劾条款指控克林顿就他与白宫一位25岁女性的关系宣誓作证时说谎。他们还指控克林顿干涉证人以阻止调查。
The following year, senators held a trial to decide whether to convict Clinton. His supporters argued that his actions did not harm the country or the government. But critics said his actions challenged the rule of law and so could be considered "high crimes."
次年，参议员举行审判以决定是否对克林顿定罪。克林顿的支持者认为他的行为无损国家或政府。但是批评人士称，他的行为对法治提出了挑战，因此可被认为是“严重犯罪。”
In the end, senators' votes were divided about in half – not enough to remove Clinton from office. He completed the remaining two years of his term as a popular president with a majority of voters, even if many thought he was dishonest.
最后，参议员的选票一分为二，不足以将克林顿免职。即使很多人认为他不诚实，他还是以受大多数选民支持的人气总统身份完成了剩余两年的任期。
Now, in 2019, lawmakers are launching another impeachment investigation into a president. Leaders in the House have said they will decide by the end of the year whether to issue charges.
现在，到了2019年，议员们将对总统展开弹劾调查。众议院议长表示，他们将在今年年底前决定是否作出指控。
I'm Pete Musto and I'm Dorothy Gundy.
我是皮特·穆斯托，我是多萝西·甘地。(51VOA.COM原创翻译，禁止转载，违者必究！)