The House Republicans who took a leading role defending President-elect Trump during his first impeachment trial in 2020 are reaping the benefits.

Of the eight GOP lawmakers who were part of Trump’s team to push back on allegations he withheld aid to Ukraine for political reasons, three are set to join his Cabinet; one is Speaker of the House and a staunch ally; and one became Trump’s chief of staff in his first administration.

The political arc of the eight lawmakers underscores the degree to which Trump prizes and rewards loyalty, which is on display as he forms his Cabinet for a second administration.

“He's showing that he remembers who stuck with him, and he wants an administration that’s really going to put America first, and he’s not going to have kind of pushback from the establishment on what he wants to achieve,” said Dan Eberhart, a Republican donor.

Trump in January 2020 announced eight House Republicans would be part of his impeachment defense team. Those lawmakers took a central role in pushing back on Democrats making the case that the then-president withheld aid from Ukraine for political purposes as part of a quid pro quo.

The lawmakers were Reps. Jim Jordan (Ohio), John Ratcliffe (Texas), Mike Johnson (La.), Mark Meadows (N.C.), Debbie Lesko (Ariz.), Lee Zeldin (N.Y.), Elise Stefanik (N.Y.) and Doug Collins (Ga.).

The role was particularly transformative for Stefanik’s political trajectory.

The young congresswoman, then 35, like many Republicans at the time had initially kept her distance from Trump in 2016 and 2017.

But she took........

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