It's hard to take the NYT or WaPo seriously when they say something trump has done is illegal. If they were right before then we wouldn't be here and trump would have already been denied office or been impeached on day 1.
You just committed the inverse fallacy of appeal to authority.
The parent observed that writers in the NYT, whether opinion writers or not, have an established track record of crying wolf in this regard. Pointing out a group or even an individual's track record is not an ad hominem attack because it's an argument about their argument, not their person.
Just because something is illegal, doesn't mean you are instantly clapped in irons and hauled off to jail. Especially if you are the President. This particular issue will take months or years to work out.
This is an opinion piece featured on NYT not their official position where they usually publish under the label "Editorial" and authored by "THE EDITORIAL BOARD".