In a Tuesday interview with Hugh Hewitt, Barr called some current stay-at-home orders “burdens on civil liberties” and said that if they continued and lawsuits were brought, his department would side against the state.
In his interview, Barr said “blunt” directives, such as stay-at-home orders or the shutting of businesses are “justified, up to a point.” But Barr thinks the restrictions should be more “targeted,” like the approach laid out by President Donald Trump.
The president’s statements this morning encourage illegal and dangerous acts. He is putting millions of people in danger of contracting COVID-19.
His unhinged rantings and calls for people to “liberate” states could also lead to violence. We’ve seen it before. 1/7
— Governor Jay Inslee (@GovInslee) April 17, 2020
“We have to give businesses more freedom to operate in a way that’s reasonably safe,” Barr said, according to Bloomberg. “To the extent that governors don’t and impinge on either civil rights or on the national commerce — our common market that we have here — then we’ll have to address that.”
“The idea that you have to stay in your house is disturbingly close to house arrest. I’m not saying it wasn’t justified. I’m not saying in some places it might still be justified. But it’s very onerous, as is shutting down your livelihood,” Barr said.
Barr even went so far as to praise Trump’s guidance through the coronavirus pandemic and said that the recommended mitigation techniques were never meant to be a permanent solution to the virus, reports NPR.org. “I think the president’s guidance has been, as I say, superb and very common-sensical, and I think a lot of the governors are following that.”
Look who the #Michigan protests dragged out, #Nazis for #Trump. pic.twitter.com/1R9OMcqdMM
— ️SEAMeduca ️ (@MeducaSea) April 17, 2020
What is wrong about this interview?
Of course, the timing is perfect, sort of like a well-laid-out script for a Broadway play. The only problem with this play is the idiot who wrote it. Not only is the Trump administration and various state governors, GOP, and Democrats, at each others throats over the supposed three-phase reopening guidelines, but Trump is also losing badly in popularity polls for his overall handling of the COVID-19 crisis.
The worst thing about this pandemic is not the stay-at-home orders, they are to protect us from a very real public health crisis. No, the worst thing is having to listen to a campaign rally and pity party – along with a sometimes hour-long breakdown of just how stupid reporters, governors, and Democrats are in Trump’s estimation.
Even worse than this, though, is the mixed messages and falsehoods being thrown at the American public. Yet Barr, Trump’s Number One stooge, praises him for the fantastic job he has done leading the country through the pandemic.
Last week, Trump announced his three-phase guidelines for the states reopening that were based on specific benchmarks on testing and a decline in Covid-19 cases. One day later, on Friday, Trump spent his morning tweeting that his supporters should “liberate” Minnesota, Michigan, and Virginia – three states with Democratic governors and strict stay-at-home orders.
The president’s statements this morning encourage illegal and dangerous acts. He is putting millions of people in danger of contracting COVID-19.
His unhinged rantings and calls for people to “liberate” states could also lead to violence. We’ve seen it before. 1/7
— Governor Jay Inslee (@GovInslee) April 17, 2020
I was particularly impressed with some of the Tweets showing neo-nazi groups and their flags with Trump and Pense’s name emblazoned on them. Washington Governor Jay Inslee, a Democrat, responded angrily to Trump’s tweets, accusing him of “fomenting rebellion” and “spewing dangerous, anti-democratic rhetoric.”
And while I’m at it, how many of you reading this realize that the Trump administration has made good use of this health crisis to push his political agenda forward while keeping it “low-key?” Trump is sneaky and conniving – and that is not a good combination.
