Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson defended Attorney General William Barr after he linked the coronavirus lockdowns to slavery.
Barr made the comments on Wednesday during a question-and-answer session at Hillsdale College in Michigan, where he said the national lockdowns were the “greatest intrusion of civil liberties” in U.S. history since slavery.
“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.
Carson, who is the only black member of the Trump administration’s Cabinet, said the comment is likely to be interpreted based on how someone feels about his boss, President Trump.
“I know how deeply he cares about people, and particularly about black lives,” Carson told Fox News host Martha MacCallum on Thursday. “We talked about that. And I think what he is talking about can be interpreted depending on how a person feels. If they hate him and they hate the administration that he’s in, then, obviously, they interpret it one way. And people who know him and understand what he’s trying to say interpret it in another way.”
Carson added that people aren’t looking at the larger impact lockdowns have had on people who have lost jobs and businesses.
“The big picture, if we continue to shut down the economy, continue to shut down people’s ability to make a living, we will create a situation that is extremely difficult to rectify,” Carson said.
The secretary said with the knowledge that has been built up regarding COVID-19, he is hopeful the country can return back to normal at some point.
