It was one of the most memorable moments of the 2020 post-election. On Nov. 19, Rudy Giuliani, Sidney Powell and Jenna Ellis held a press conference at the Republican National Committee to lay out their evidence that Donald Trump had won the presidential election.

For more than an hour, the group — who Ellis called an "elite strike force" — meandered from one bizarre claim to another. With hair dye dripping down his face, Giuliani rambled on about claims of fraud. Sidney Powell began her remarks by claiming the election had been stolen due to a "massive influence of communist money through Venezuela, Cuba and likely China."

Through all of it — 90 minutes of crazy conspiracy theories, misstatements of law and outright lies — Joe diGenova and his wife Victoria Toensing stood and listened as if it all made sense. The Republican power couple was introduced by Giuliani as part of the "senior lawyers" working to overturn the results of the election.

In the years that followed, the three members of the elite strike force each faced consequences for their actions. 

Ellis' law license was suspended, and she pleaded guilty to a single felony count of aiding and abetting false statements and writings. Powell is facing misconduct proceedings before the Michigan Attorney Discipline Board and has pleaded guilty to six misdemeanor counts of conspiracy to commit intentional interference with election duties. Meanwhile, Giuliani has been disbarred in New York. He faces criminal charges in Georgia and Arizona for his efforts to overturn the election.

DiGenova's career took a different path. He was smart enough not to sign court pleadings or enter an appearance in any of the sixty-plus cases Trump and his allies filed to overturn the 2020 election.

But he showed his loyalty to Trump in other ways. Eleven days after the RNC press conference, he called for Chris Krebs — the government's own cybersecurity chief who had confirmed the election was secure — to be "drawn and quartered. Taken out at dawn and shot."

Krebs sued him for the remarks, which triggered death threats against Krebs and his family. DiGenova later issued a half-hearted apology, calling the remarks "a poor attempt at humor."

His involvement did not stop there. On Dec. 13, 2020, diGenova was among the Trump associates copied on an email from OAN anchor Christina Bobb outlining efforts by Republicans in seven states to appoint false electors — and to submit fraudulent electoral certificates to Vice President Pence for certification on Jan. 6, 2021.

He has since become a staple of conservative media and a promoter of right-wing conspiracy theories. His specialty is making Trump the victim of the Democrats, the media and — always — the deep state.

Now, diGenova is being asked to take his act to the Department of Justice — where yesterday, he was sworn in as a counselor to the attorney general. He will be based out of a U.S. attorney's office in Florida, leading a probe into former federal officials who have investigated Trump.

Republicans claim this so-called "grand conspiracy" probe will "advance the Department's mission to protect Americans." While the parameters of the probe have not been made clear, Trump allies have said they are investigating Democrats who conspired to prevent Trump from exercising his constitutional and federal rights over the last decade.

This is just a cover for a nationwide criminal probe into Donald Trump's political opponents, conducted out of the courthouse where federal judge Aileen Cannon sits. The location of the probe is not a coincidence. Nor is the fact that diGenova's appointment comes one week after acting Attorney General Todd Blanche declared Trump has a "right" to investigate his political enemies.

DiGenova's predecessor was removed for committing one of the gravest offenses in Trump world: questioning orders. Maria Medetis Long, a career prosecutor, questioned the legality of future charges — including the inquiry into former CIA Director John Brennan, who appears to be the next target of Trump's marathon political grievances.

Unlike Medetis Long, diGenova will have no such issues moving forward with prosecuting Brennan. He earned his loyalty long ago, when he stood on the stage with Powell, Ellis and Giuliani and nodded along to every one of their lies.

This is what we have come to expect from Trump. Last year, he appointed his former personal attorney — Lindsey Halligan — as temporary U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, after he became frustrated that the office failed to pursue charges against FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James. Both cases ended in embarrassing dismissals.

But that won't stop Trump. More appointments are sure to come, and more political prosecutions will surely follow. This is just the beginning.

While targeting political enemies is an act of revenge for a president who thrives on retribution, it is also more than that. By going after those who once fought back, Trump is issuing a warning: Stand down, or you will face the consequences. 

He is also sending a message about the 2020 election. Trump wants to paint a reality where the “elite strike force” that cried election fraud was right. Therefore, he is prosecuting the lawyers and officials who fought for our democracy and stood in their way. 

Now, with diGenova in the DOJ, one of Trump’s most loyal soldiers is leading the charge. 

None of this is by accident. It is a calculated plan that is only beginning to unfold. It is our job — as members of the pro-democracy movement — to build our own legal army and fight back.