AG Barr calls Coronavirus lockdowns 'greatest intrusion on civil liberties' since slavery

Attorney General William Barr on Wednesday ripped efforts by governors around the country to prevent the spread of coronavirus with stay-at-home orders, calling such plans the "greatest intrusion on civil liberties" since slavery.

Speaking at an event at the conservative-leaning Hillsdale College in Michigan, Barr lashed out at governors in both parties who opted to shutter nonessential businesses amid the pandemic and order residents to stay home whenever possible.

"You know, putting a national lockdown, stay-at-home orders, is like house arrest. Other than slavery, which was a different kind of restraint, this is the greatest intrusion on civil liberties in American history," he said.

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Barr's comment came during a Q&A session after remarks in which he criticized the Department of Justice and declared that all agency power is "invested in the attorney general."

"Even the most well-meaning people can do great damage if they lose perspective," Barr added. "The road to hell is paved with good intentions, as they say. Individual prosecutors can sometimes become headhunters, consumed with taking down their target."

Representatives for the Justice Department did not immediately return a request to clari... (Read more)

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