Everything you need to know about Trump's impeachment process: what's happened, who the players are, and what comes next

• Donald Trump's presidency has been upended by an explosive whistleblower complaint that has since snowballed into a fast-moving impeachment inquiry.
• The scandal has ensnared dozens of people on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean, and poses the most immediate threat to Trump's presidency yet.
• What is impeachment? How did we get here? And what could happen next?
• We hope this guide will help to answer these questions. There's even a table of contents below so you can jump to a specific section.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Donald Trump's presidency has been upended by an explosive whistleblower complaint that has since snowballed into a fast-moving impeachment inquiry, ensnared dozens of people on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean, and poses the most immediate threat to Trump's presidency yet.

What is impeachment? Contrary to popular belief, impeachment doesn't mean automatic removal from office. The impeachment process can be thought of as somewhat analogous to a criminal proceeding, even though impeachable offenses don't have to be criminal offenses. The House, like a grand jury, collects evidence, hears testimony, and drafts articles of impeachment, or charges, against the President.

If a majority of the House votes to charge the president, the US Senate holds a trial where both sides present their cases and senators act as jurors. If two-thirds of the Senate votes to convict the president on the charges passed by the House, the president is removed from office.

How did we get here? And what could happen next? We hope this guide will help to answer these questions. We highly recommend you read the entirety of this story so you can be as informed as possible, but we've also built a table of contents below so you can jump to a specific section.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

The Players

The Stakes

The Possible Outcomes

Timeline of Events (What's Happened So Far)