Under Article I, Section 5, clause 2, of the Constitution, a Member of Congress
may be removed from office before the normal expiration of his or her constitutional
term by an "expulsion" from the Senate (if a Senator) or from the House of
Representatives (if a Representative) upon a formal vote on a resolution agreed to by
two-thirds of the Members of the respective body present and voting. While there
are no specific grounds for an expulsion expressed in the Constitution, expulsion
actions in both the House and the Senate have generally concerned cases of perceived
disloyalty to the United States, or the conviction of a criminal statutory offense which
involved abuse of one's official position