He and allies like Elon Musk argue left-wing governments use the legal system to silence opponents

That is a fine mental gymnastic there.

I hope I’m not erring on the side of over-simplifying reality to make it abide to my limited mental capabilities to comprehend it, but more likely it is them, “He and allies like Elon Musk”, who by doing what they normally do are using the legal system to silence themselves.

Rule of law 101

Not a law expert, the article says

To be perfectly clear, Ozturk is not accused of breaking the law. The Department of Homeland Security hasn’t bothered to explain its reasoning

So maybe is still the patriot act effect?