Bunch of worthless a-holes make me want to puke.
They are beholden to what they perceive to be 'power' - and all the temporal baubles it brings. The 'power', though, which they worship is simply the 'prince of the power of the air'...
Not to be flippant, but yes. They know what happened. Pat Smith's testimony does not tell them anything they don't already know except remind them of their leaders' failures. They are not going to change their minds on anything at this point or else they risk banishment from the establishment. None of them can be an outsider. It's the same as death.
I don't know why anyone is surprised by this sort of behavior anymore. If something jeopardizes their standing in the DC establishment or doesn't further their political agendas, they WILL walk away from it. That's who they are and what they do. The only way to stop it is if enough people vote them OUT.