Lauren Boebert filed articles of impeachment against Biden. That doesn’t mean he was impeached

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Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., a member of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, leaves the chamber after the Republican-controlled House voted along party lines to censure Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., at the Capitol in Washington, June 21, 2023. Boebert introduced articles of impeachment against President Joe Biden last month, but that doesn’t mean he was impeached, as some on social media are claiming.

CLAIM: President Joe Biden was impeached for high crimes and misdemeanors in June 2023.

AP’S ASSESSMENT: False. Biden has not been impeached. The House voted last month to send articles of impeachment introduced by Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert to its Judiciary Committee and its Homeland Security Committee for review. Articles of impeachment, issued solely in the House, detail the charges against an elected official, but impeachment only occurs if the articles are approved by the chambers’ members.

THE FACTS: Some on social media are misrepresenting the House’s June vote to send the articles of impeachment to the committees, falsely suggesting it means Biden has already been impeached.

One Instagram post features a Forbes video of Boebert introducing the articles to the House on June 20. A chyron on the video reads: “Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) introduces articles of impeachment against President Biden on House.”

Despite the inclusion of this real House footage with an accurate chyron, the post, which had received more than 93,000 likes by Tuesday, claims: “Biden is Impeached!!! Finally! For High Crimes and Misdemeanors.”

But the fact that the articles of impeachment, which accuse Biden of “high crimes and misdemeanors” related to his handling of the U.S. border with Mexico, were introduced does not mean that Biden has been impeached.

Articles of impeachment are only the first step in the impeachment process. The constitutional equivalent of an indictment, they detail charges against an elected official. Impeachment occurs if the House approves the articles, which has not happened so far in this case. If approved, the Senate then votes whether to acquit or convict the official.

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, also a Republican, negotiated a deal with Boebert to send her articles of impeachment for review by the House’s Judiciary Committee and House Homeland Security Committee after she used a House rule called a privileged resolution in an attempt to force a snap vote, the AP has reported.

A related resolution introduced by Republican Rep. Chip Roy on June 21 referred Boebert’s articles of impeachment for possible consideration by the aforementioned congressional committees, like any other bill. The House voted 219-208 along party lines the next day on this resolution.

Neither committee is under any obligation to take further action on Boebert’s articles of impeachment.
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This is part of AP’s effort to address widely shared misinformation, including work with outside companies and organizations to add factual context to misleading content that is circulating online. Learn more about fact-checking at AP.

Goldin debunks, analyzes and tracks misinformation for The Associated Press. She is based in New York.