House Whip Jim Clyburn, a Democrat from South Carolina, is not impressed by Barr’s claim that pandemic restrictions are second only to slavery as a violation of rights.

That statement by Mister Barr was one of the most ridiculous, tone-deaf, godawful things I’ve ever heard. 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. 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. And if this administration – this godawful duo of Trump and Barr – were going about the business of doing what is necessary to protect the people of this great country, we would be beyond this pandemic by now.