[Fredkc]

Ah, ok. heres the thing...

An impeachment is a special kind of thing. Normally a sitting President is immune from prosecution, in the regular courts, and even the Senate. The President can only be tried by the Senate after the House approves Articles Of Impeachment.

These articles are basically a two-fold thing.
1. They remove his immunity from prosecution by the Senate, and
2. Serve as an "indictment" which is then tried in the Senate.

Were he impeached, this would be business before the sitting Congress and they would have to deal with it before the end of the President's term. If they didn't move on it by then:
* then he becomes a regular citizen,
* no impeachment is required to try,
* and I would think any pending but unfinished impeachment proceedings would die when Congress' session ended.

Without pardons being issued the whole mess would then be in the hands of the Justice Dept (good luck there), and any claims handed our government from international courts (again, I think they'd be turned down by any sitting President).