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What exactly is a 'high crime' and did President Trump commit one?

The President has been accused of "high crimes and misdemeanors" so we're connecting the dots on the strange term.

Did President Trump commit "high crimes and misdemeanors" during that phone call with Ukraine's president? To answer that, we first must look at the entire impeachment process.

The constitution lays reasons to impeach a president. That's where you often hear the phrase "high crimes and misdemeanors". But it's part of a longer phrase "treason, bribes, or high crimes and misdemeanors."

There's a long-standing debate about what the founders meant by that phrase, and it's a debate a house committee is focusing on this week.

Most constitutional experts say it doesn't necessarily refer to actual criminal activity but congress isn't in the business of deciding criminality. That's what the courts do.

Instead, the "high crimes" phrase refers to a more general idea of significant misconduct or abuse of power. It matters because you've heard a lot of the President's supporters concede the Ukraine phone call wasn't good, but they say it wasn't criminal.

Democrats argue it doesn't have to be. a reminder that an impeachment is a political process, not a criminal one.

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