False: Biden: Attorney General William Barr had said pandemic lockdowns are "equivalent to slavery."

By: Devika Kandelwal
November 18 2020

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Biden misconstrued Barr's statement that virus lockdowns are the ‘greatest intrusion on civil liberties’ since slavery. Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden during the CNN town hall on Sept. 17, was asked by CNN's Anderson Cooper to respond to those "who say it's individual liberty to not wear a mask." Biden said, "Well, let me tell you something. You know I -- What Bill Barr recently said is outrageous. That it's like slavery." Biden referred to Barr's recent comments on the coronavirus lockdown at a Constitution Day celebration hosted by Michigan's Hillsdale College. At the event, Barr said that "other than slavery," coronavirus lockdowns were "the greatest intrusion of civil liberties in American history." However, Barr was commenting on lockdowns caused by the virus, and Biden responded to a question about wearing masks. Barr did not make any comparison between mask-wearing and slavery. Later during the town hall, Biden referenced Barr's remarks again after Cooper asked him about them but incorrectly said that Barr said lockdowns were equivalent to slavery. Barr did not even make comparisons between lockdowns and slavery.