Comments by "No Fate But What We Make" (@SonoftheAllfather) on "IG Report Drops: Spying Isn't Spying and Lying Isn't Lying, I Guess" video.

I was trying to explain this to some chimp the other day. He was saying that top DOJ officials should get prosecuted and punished severely for refusing to comply with a congressional subpoena. I responded by highlighting that he's basically asking the people he wants to be severely punished to investigate and prosecute their own wrongdoings.
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@washingtonqbuckley7328 It was the Dem-controlled House that recently reauthorized the Patriot Act. Trump probably is being genuine when he says he doesn't want this to happen to another President. But he doesn't have the power to arrest people or stop every legislative action. That is by constitutional design to limit the power of the President.
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@washingtonqbuckley7328 No my "implication" is fully correct. What you're failing to mention is that House Dems voted largely on party lines (only 4% of Dems voted against while 92% of Republicans voted against) to keep the Patriot Act alive by hiding the provision in a temporary funding resolution meant to keep the government from shutting down right before the Thanksgiving holiday. That is a perverse tactic used by the House majority at times to get unpopular legislation passed or reauthorized. The rest of the government is then under immense pressure to pass the resolution with the provision within in, lest they allow for an unpopular and disruptive government shutdown. Nice try though. Also, show me evidence that Trump "pontificated on perhaps extending [the Patriot Act] FOREVER" because frankly, I don't believe a word you're saying. The extension provision Trump signed is not for 6 years, it is for 3 months. Trump has the DOJ under his authority, but that doesn't mean he can authorize the arrest of anyone he thinks is guilty of something.
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@washingtonqbuckley7328 The FISA Reauthorization Act of 2017 is different. It was authored and passed by a Republican majority House and Senate, with mostly only libertarian Republicans and a couple random blue dog Dems voting nay. The neolibs and neocons all love it because it makes it easier for them to meddle in foreign affairs. Trump initially opposed the reauthorization and demanded that it be edited to exclude the parts which allowed Obama's FBI to abuse the courts and investigate him i.e. the provisions within it that expose American citizens to having their 4th amendment rights violated. FISA has been around since 1978 though; it wasn't Obama or Bush's creation. Trump is considerably more reluctant than past Presidents to support mass surveillance and constitutional abuse by the government. He isn't perfect, but you're being overly critical if you ask me.
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@washingtonqbuckley7328 If Dems aren't responsible and don't want to keep the Patriot Act alive, why did they hide a provision for its extension in a funding bill they authored and 96% of them voted for it? If it's so bipartisan, why did 92% of Republicans oppose the bill, even though it meant a government shutdown would ensue? Obviously the proof is in the pudding. The number of votes tell the story in the case and yet you're still saying I'm incorrect and even went so far to imply I'm not basing my position on my own reasoning, but I'm just some brainwashed media pawn.
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