The “briefing” probably involved pictures of a live boy, or a dead girl.
The effectiveness of an arm twisted up behind one’s back is not lost on perhaps the majority of officeholders in DC. The frog-march to “unanimity” is the major consequence.
It is not just a matter of being invited to the “right” parties. Such n invitation is much more like a summons to show the degree of submission the targeted officeholder is allowed to display.