导读:近日，美国政坛可谓是颇不平静。作为白宫之主的唐纳德·特朗普总统也是各种丑闻缠身。于是，很多人开始质疑，弹劾总统之路还有多远？今天，BBC就带大伙儿对此进行分析。
As Donald Trump finds his tenure in the White House connected with yet more allegations, the inevitable "i" word begins to pop up.
随着唐纳德·特朗普在白宫的任期卷入更多指控，一个以“i”开头的单词不可避免地蹦了出来。
Impeachment.
Impeachment（弹劾）。
It was discussed by his opponents as a possibility even before his inauguration, but has yet to be tabled by anyone.
甚至在特朗普就职典礼之前，他的反对派就在议论此事的可能性，然而至今无人将此提上案。
This is despite a string of controversies. Just this week, US media reported allegations he had asked FBI chief James Comey to drop an inquiry into links between his ex-national security adviser and Russia, while 24 hours before it was claimed he had?let slip details of top secret intelligence?to the Russian ambassador.
尽管存在一系列的争议。就在本周，美国媒体报道爆料，特朗普曾要求FBI局长詹姆斯·科米放弃调查他的前国家安全顾问与俄罗斯之间的关系，而24小时前，据称他向俄罗斯大使透露了高度机密情报的细节。
But how easy is it to impeach a president? And exactly who has been impeached in the past? The answer may surprise you....
但是，弹劾一位总统到底有多简单？谁在过去被弹劾过？答案可能令你大吃一惊……
Just what is impeachment?
什么是弹劾？
The US constitution states a president "shall be removed from office on impeachment for, and conviction of, treason, bribery, or other high crimes or misdemeanours".
美国宪法表述，总统“因叛国、受贿、其它重罪或者是品行不端遭到弹劾、被判有罪时应被革职。”
Exactly what "high crimes and misdemeanours" covers is up for debate.
然而，“重罪和品行不端”确定来讲覆盖些什么仍有待商榷。
Who has actually been impeached?
谁事实上曾被弹劾过？
Despite it being threatened on numerous occasions, only two presidents have every actually been impeached.
尽管总统多次受到过威胁，但是仅有两位总统事实上被弹劾过。
Most recently, Bill Clinton - the 42nd President of the United States - found himself impeached on the ground of perjury in front a grand jury and obstruction of justice, after he lied about the nature of his affair with Monica Lewinsky and then allegedly asked her to lie about it as well.
最近的是，比尔·克林顿——美国第42任总统——因在大陪审团面前提供伪证和干预司法遭到弹劾，此前他就其与莫妮卡·莱温斯基的风流事撒谎，随后据称还要求莱温斯基也撒谎。
The second? Clue: It wasn’t Richard Nixon. (More on this lower down).
第二位是？线索：不是理查德·尼克松。（继续往下看）
In fact, the only other president impeached was Andrew Johnson, who served for four years from 1865 - the 17th person to hold the role.
事实上，仅有的另外一位遭到弹劾的总统是安德鲁·约翰逊，他自1865年起任第17任总统四年。
He was impeached by the House in 1868. The vote came just 11 days after he got rid of Edwin Stanton, his secretary of war - a man who didn’t agree with his policies.
1868年，他遭到众议院弹劾。11天前，他炒掉了自己的国防部长爱德温·斯坦顿，此人曾反对过他的政策。
So - could Mr Trump be impeached?
那么，特朗普会遭到弹劾吗？
In theory yes. He could technically be accused of violations of his oath of office to "preserve, protect, and defend" the US constitution, according to the writers of Lawfare Blog.
据Lawfare Blog的作家们，理论上是会的。理论上来说，特朗普可因违反“维持、保护和捍卫”美国宪法之入职誓言受到指控。
In practice, however, it is far more unlikely
然而，事实上这还远远是不可能的。.
As the BBC’s North America reporter Anthony Zurcher points out, "if this were a Democratic-controlled House of Representatives, articles of impeachment would likely be in the drafting process".
正如BBC北美记者Anthony Zurcher指出，“如果众议院由民主党控制，那么弹劾文案可能就在草拟途中了。”
The fact is, they are not. The Republicans control the House by 238 to 193. They control the Senate by 52 to 46, plus two independents.
事实上并非如此。共和党控制了众议院238个席位，193个席位由民主党控制。共和党控制了参议院52个席位，46个席位民主党控制，外加两个独立席位。
Of course, there are the notable exceptions. Senator John McCain told a dinner this week that the scandals surrounding the President are reaching "Watergate size and scale".
当时，也极有可能出现例外。参议员约翰·麦凯恩在本周的一次晚宴上表示，缠绕总统的丑闻正达到“水门事件的规模”。
Finally: just how did Mr Nixon avoid impeachment?
最终：尼克松是如何躲过弹劾的？
He did what every sensible person does when they know the tide has turned against them. He quit.
在知道大难来临之时，他做了每个聪明人都会做的事情：辞职。
