House Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-SC) on Thursday blasted Attorney General William Barr who recently suggested that COVID-19 restrictions are as bad as slavery.
Barr made the remarks on Wednesday at an event hosted by Hillsdale College.
“You know, putting a national lockdown, stay-at-home orders, is like house arrest. It’s — you know, other than slavery, which was a different kind of restraint, this is the greatest intrusion on civil liberties in American history,” Barr said.
Clyburn was asked about Barr’s comments while speaking to CNN anchor John Berman on Thursday.
“I think that statement by Mr. Barr was one of the most ridiculous, tone-deaf, god-awful things I have ever heard,” Clyburn observed. “It is incredible the chief law enforcement officer in this country would equate human bondage to expert advice to save lives.”
“Slavery was not about saving lives, it was about devaluing lives,” he added. “This pandemic is a threat to human life and the experts, the medical experts, the scientists are telling us what it takes to respond successfully to this pandemic.”
According to Clyburn, President Donald Trump and the attorney general have teamed up to be a “god-awful duo.”
“It would have been great if we had a national lockdown so that people’s lives would be saved,” he explained. “But that is just what we’re up against here. Two people in charge of running the law enforcement of this country are absolutely tone deaf to what it takes to be great leaders.”
