Similar background, and I think it goes beyond an explicit "ends justify the means" analysis. Most of them think they are the Avengers, and anything they do is definitionally Good and Patriotic because they are the one doing it.
And in most cases, the good they are doing is quite tangible while the downsides (especially around due process, privacy, and other non-tangibles) are often quite abstract.
And in most cases, the good they are doing is quite tangible while the downsides (especially around due process, privacy, and other non-tangibles) are often quite abstract.