How House GOP leader Kevin McCarthy and his team tamed impeachment

When House Speaker Nancy Pelosi greenlighted the impeachment proceedings in September, Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy made a key tactical decision: He would not worry about blocking it but focus instead on shaping public opinion and influencing lawmakers poised to sit as jurors in a Senate trial.

The California Republican spent four-plus years as whip, his party’s chief House vote counter. He intuitively understood that if a previously reluctant Pelosi had opted to put her political muscle behind impeachment, there was little Republicans could do to stop her 233 Democrats from voting for it.