Until yesterday, all Republicans were perfectly happy to hide behind Trump. Of course, they feared him and were scared of the spell he has on the Republican voters; they made sure not to cross him.

As long as the Trump presidency allowed them to deliver their agenda (SCOTUS, tax cuts, immigration,...), they didn't care. Trump was their biggest asset.

But it has changed: in the past two years under Trump, the GOP has lost the House, then the White House and now the Senate, thanks in no small part to Trump undermining the Georgia runoffs since he lost re-election.

An on top of that, Trump all but encouraged his supporters to storm the Capitol: maybe he thought they would bully McConnell & Pence to certify him as the winner instead of Biden; at a minimum, to tar Biden's election with the brush of illegitimacy, so that he could prepare his return in 2024, while still milking the suckers his supporters for as much money as he can.

This is where he was hoist by his own petard: the whole thing went way further than he thought (not that he may have thought about it in advance - he's not a planning ahead guy).

The Capt. Renault Repubs were shocked, shocked! to discover that the mob was after them as much as after their Democratic colleagues. Trump allies were crapping their pants while they had to be exfiltrated in emergency and I'm fairly sure that neither McConnell nor Pence (who might have lifted one eyebrow) liked it one bit. The Repugs have now realized that Trump shifted is now a liability.

They'll now try to ditch him, but the reckoning is coming a day late and a dollar short: they supported Trump, they protected him from impeachment - they own him and his legacy.

Republican Party faces defining moment under Trump's shadow - AP
The day Trump broke the GOP - Politico
`He screwed the country': Trump loyalty disintegrates - Politico