...one suspects that he is obediently following instructions here.
Exactly.
Pelosi and Schumer, and their handlers, certainly know there are steep odds against the senate kicking Trump out of office.
IMO, they are actually trying to burden Trump, who is 24/7 lifting several times the normal presidential load, to the point of inducing cardiac arrest.
See also the endless repetitive, thinly-veiled snarkey, gotcha questions being asked at the WH press briefings.