COVID doesn't need to be eradicated, it just needs to be exposed for the political fraud that it is. Those behind it need to be exposed too. Problem solved.
Of course. They would have blackmail material because of that.
People allow themselves to be blackmailed to benefit from the perks that the blackmailer provides. This is how it works in politics and Hollywood, and probably a lot of other places too.
At what point does the blackmail become less severe than the penalty for the crimes being committed?
My guess is, these people are constantly weighing their options. They're probably like windsocks, trying to determine which way to flip. And since none (that we know of) have flipped, it appears that they're not too worried about getting held accountable for their sedition or treason, and whatever else they've done. They're more concerned about going against their masters and having the blackmail released.