> President George H. W. Bush launched a war on Iraq without congressional authorization. That is illegal according to Article 1, Section 8, Clause 11 of the Constitution, the set of rules Bush swore an oath to uphold. President Bill Clinton did the same, overseeing illegal military operations in Somalia, Serbia, and Iraq.
> President George W. Bush conducted warrantless surveillance on American citizens, which is illegal according to the Fourth Amendment, and committed torture, which is prohibited by Section 2340A of Title 18 of the United States Code. His administration also launched undeclared, and therefore illegal, wars in Afghanistan, Somalia, and Iraq.
None of those things are "illegal" in the sense of being a crime.[0]
This is of course most likely known to the author, who relies on the kind of right-wing audience who consumes this content either because they are feckless and desire only talking points they can deploy without regard to truth, or because they are genuine rubes who think this is actually how the law works.
Of course, the author cannot go through and compare with any factual detail Trump's actions to anything comparable previous presidents may have done because no modern president has done anything comparable.
[0] Leaving aside any potential liability under international law for the torture stuff.
> President George W. Bush conducted warrantless surveillance on American citizens, which is illegal according to the Fourth Amendment, and committed torture, which is prohibited by Section 2340A of Title 18 of the United States Code. His administration also launched undeclared, and therefore illegal, wars in Afghanistan, Somalia, and Iraq.
None of those things are "illegal" in the sense of being a crime.[0]
This is of course most likely known to the author, who relies on the kind of right-wing audience who consumes this content either because they are feckless and desire only talking points they can deploy without regard to truth, or because they are genuine rubes who think this is actually how the law works.
Of course, the author cannot go through and compare with any factual detail Trump's actions to anything comparable previous presidents may have done because no modern president has done anything comparable.
[0] Leaving aside any potential liability under international law for the torture stuff.