This isn't about the GOP protecting Trump.
Its about the GOP rolling back the New Deal. They will do whatever it takes. There is no doubt in my mind that if they thought they could get away with it, treason, insurrection and murder would not be off the table. They don't lack the will or ruthlessness to do it, just the leadership (Trump is no Hitler or Mao, he's just another crooked real estate hustler). I know the type well, they're a dime a dozen in Florida.
Maybe we're better off if Trump is NOT removed from office. He may be corrupt, but at least he's incompetent. I fear his replacement more than I do him.