You're correct in the sense that it's how things are supposed to work. However in practice, things are different. Secret interpretations of the law, which should have no more weight than mere opinions, were used to justify surveillance programs that seems outright illegal at first glance, and people got away with it.

Or create a program to extrajudicially assassinate American citizens, including specifically targeting minors.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abdulrahman_al-Awlaki

Just to be clear, there was no due process of law or habeas corpus with that particular murder.

The blowback from such atrocities is probably going to kill this country as we know it. It'll take a few years to unravel, as many powerbroker boomers die off, but it does not look good.

I do not want to be right about this.