I don’t beleieve that they are being blackmailed at all.
They aren’t being forced to be someone that they are not.
They are quite simply liars.
This little show is nothing more than the latest effort to get as many people believing that 1/2 of the government is their friend, when in fact none of the government is anyone’s friend, and all of the government is everyone’s arch enemy.
Half of the hydra’s heads do not, infact, want to kill the hydra.
All of the hydra’s heads want to consume all of us, and they will tell any lie they have to in order to facilitate that goal.
This is a true beast from Hell.
It would seem many of them are being blackmailed and many are being paid off.
But to say “all of the government is everyone’s arch enemy” is way over the top.
If I somehow set you off and triggered an irrational sort of blowup, then I apologize.