They are pragmatically responding to the quiet and not so quiet orders from behind the scenes which tell them when and what to vote for. They are largely driven by the idea that election grants them power to ignore moral and legal reason, they are craven in public because it suits their cover story.

What they are NOT is capable of independent thought. They fear being called out alone, but within the GOP herd they know which way the wind blows and assiduously trim their sails to cooperate with it. They were recruited to their seats BECAUSE they will do what the money demands. Tom Delay understood that, as did Newt Gingrich, as does Mitch McConnell.

So I must disagree that they are only cowards. They are far worse than that. They knowingly defy the truth if it suits their masters. They did it in the first impeachment and now again. They bow to the money first, last, and always. The sheer amount of it is stunning even to an oil sheik.

IMO if they were only cowards many of them wouldn't have returned to complete the count on the 6th. They would have insisted on delaying it for their own safety.