"What moral authority?"

I mean our moral authority to put pressure on countries that commit human rights abuses and engage in other practices that we deem to be unacceptable. This includes, not incidentally, our moral authority to object to ill treatment of American citizens by foreign nations.

It may not mean much to you, but pushing for improved human rights in other countries has been an important tenet of U.S. foreign policy since the end of World War II. When you engage in similar abuses yourself - and don't punish the perpetrators - you tend to lose your ability to object effectively to what other countries are doing.