It is the way they are taught to argue.
They can't find anything wrong with what you said but they don't like you so they will attack what you did not say.
There is a bare breasted stature of Lady Justice where the DOJ would hold press conferences. The photographers used to lay on the floor, climb on chairs and do other things so they could take a shot of the guy talking looking like he was groping Lady Justice.
The DOJ used to rent a blue curtain to hang to cover the statue and prevent those kind of shots. AG John Ashcroft asked, "why don't we just buy a curtain? It will be cheaper then renting it every time."
You remember what happened after that.
Yes, I do remember. I wondered why the Attorney General didn’t just stand somewhere else for a press conference.