Does the President or Congress have the power to remove executive officials? This book is an in-depth examination of this question--unspecified in the Constitution and an ongoing source of political controversy and legal debate since the country's founding.

The US Constitution is clear on the appointment of executive officials: the president nominates, the Senate approves. But on the question of removing those officials, the Constitution is silent—although that silence has not discouraged strenuous efforts to challenge, censure, and even impeach presidents. As the authors show, the removal power has always been and continues to be a thorny issue, especially as presidential power has expanded dramatically during the past century.