Attorney General William Barr had harsh words Wednesday for proponents of placing extreme restrictions on life, employment, travel and individual and religious liberties amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Barr explained that in his mind, the issue of forcing people to close their businesses, schools and churches and to stay home is a historic assault on liberty.
“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,” he said while answering questions at an event hosted by Hillsdale College.
The fiery response from Barr came after he was asked to explain the “constitutional hurdles for forbidding a church from meeting during [the coronavirus pandemic],” according to CNN.
Barr also went after governors who used their executive powers to deny citizens their constitutional rights.
“Most of the governors do what bureaucrats always do, which is they … defy common sense,” Barr added.
