The secret thoughts of moderate Republicans

It would be easy to look at the House of Representatives and assume that the members of the Freedom Caucus — and not Speaker Kevin McCarthy — are the ones who are actually in charge.

This past week was a perfect example of why.

On Tuesday, McCarthy raised some eyebrows when he announced an impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden. It was a partisan maneuver that has subjected him to a lot of criticism, especially from within his own party.

After all, what new information did McCarthy have to justify this?

If you believe the talk around Washington, the answer is: none at all.

According to conventional wisdom, McCarthy’s big impeachment announcement was an attempt to avert a government shutdown at the end of the month. It was an effort to buy support from the group of far-right members who are tanking the requisite spending bills because they think their fellow conservatives have gone soft.