Donald Trump has been indicted for 37 charges by a federal grand jury. And these are not misdemeanors. They are serious felonies concerning the national defense of the United States - and if he is convicted, he could serve many years in a federal prison.
There is a significant portion of the Republican Party base that simply doesn't care. They love their favorite demagogue, and will support him no matter what he does. Trump once said he could shoot someone on a Main Street and not lose any support. These Trump supporters show that he was telling the truth for once.
That puts Republican officials between a rock and a hard place. They must defend Trump or lose the support of a significant portion of the base. The problem they have is that there is no legitimate defense for Trump's crimes.
The most popular "defense" seems to be that Democrats have weaponized the Department of Justice to go after their enemies (especially Trump). Of course, this is a lie. But even if it wasn't, it would not be a defense. After all, Trump has confessed to the crime of intentionally taking classified documents several times on nationwide television and there are tapes of it.
Another "defense" they are using is that Pence and Biden did the same thing, and were not charged. Another lie. While Pence and Biden did have some classified documents in their possession, it was inadvertent - not intentional. And they immediately returned the documents when they learned of their existent. Trump intentionally took the documents, refused to return them, and lied about them.
Perhaps the most ridiculous "defense" is that the DOJ investigation was a witch hunt. No 'witch hunt" was needed, since Trump confessed on tape, and his aides and lawyers testified as to his guilt.
There is only one defense to a crime -- that the accused did not commit the crime (or was justified in doing it). That does not apply here. Trump committed the crime, and in doing so, placed the national security of the United States in jeopardy.
GOP officials will continue trying to defend Trump, because they don't want to be voted out of office by the base of their party. But the defenses will all be lame and pathetic, because Trump is guilty.