re: Can Republicans argue so what Ukraine was pressured,

What the whole Russia hoax and this particular charade boil down to is simply this: Donald J. Trump is an outsider. He’s already wealthy, so he can’t be bought, and thusly, can’t be trusted by the established corrupt powers-that-be. So he must be neutered at the very least, or (best case scenario) removed, so that someone more controllable (or at least beatable) can take his place, and thus restore the past status quo.

It’s like a police force of 100 that’s got 99 corrupt cops. None of them trust that one honest cop, so they do what they can to undermine, if not outright get rid of, him. By setting him up, if necessary.