The counterclaim is that he didn't ignore the rules but rather went out of his way to make sure he followed them, specifically as per the law. And, they say, it isn't even close.
So that's one of those factual claims that different people will hear the opposite versions of, and I fear that as has happened so often, folks will be too busy yelling about conclusions that they never stop to notice that they have a core factual issue to sort out.