Barr slammed over 'ridiculous, tone-deaf, God-awful' slavery comments
Barr called coronavirus lockdown orders the ‘greatest intrusion on civil liberties in American history’ since slavery.
Attorney General William Barr drew sharp condemnation Thursday for comparing lockdown orders during the coronavirus pandemic to slavery.
In remarks Wednesday night at Hillsdale College in Michigan, Barr had called the lockdown orders the “greatest intrusion on civil liberties in American history” since slavery.
Rep. James Clyburn (D-SC), the No. 3 House Democratic leader, told CNN that Barr’s remarks were “the most ridiculous, tone-deaf, God-awful things I’ve ever heard” because they wrongly equated human bondage with a measure aimed at saving lives.
“Slavery was not about saving lives. It was about devaluing lives,” Clyburn said. “This pandemic is a threat to human life.”
This is not the first occasion that Barr has condemned stay-at-home orders.
He has previously said that some orders were ” disturbingly close to house arrest,” and the Justice Department sent letters to several states warning that some of their virus-related restrictions might be unlawful. Prosecutors also filed statements of interest in several civil cases challenging some of the restrictions.
Recommended
Rosenblum, other Democratic AGs ask SCOTUS to block red state bans on emergency abortions
Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum and nearly two dozen other Democratic-led states urged the U.S. Supreme Court to preserve the ability of emergency room doctors to provide abortions, arguing that failing to do so would have devastating effects for their health care systems and women across the country.
By Gloria Rebecca Gomez, Arizona Mirror - April 01, 2024Ken Paxton paid $2.3 million to defense lawyers for impeachment trial
The lawyers were paid from his campaign, according to a report filed this week.
By Patrick Svitek, The Texas Tribune - January 18, 2024Texas governor and attorney general do little to curb state’s chemical plant crisis
Republicans Greg Abbott and Ken Paxton have taken thousands of dollars in donations from chemical companies and their affiliated PACs.
By Jesse Valentine - December 08, 2023