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US Attorney General Barr Backs Trump on Reopening Economy

Masood Farivar

   WASHINGTON - As President Donald Trump encourages state governors to
   reopen their economies despite growing criticism of Trump's handling of
   the coronavirus pandemic, U.S. Attorney General William Barr has stood
   loyally by his boss throughout the monthslong crisis.

   Barr has praised Trump's response to the pandemic as "statesmanlike"
   and blasted the press for waging a "jihad" against the anti-malaria
   drug hydroxychloroquine after Trump controversially touted it as a
   potentially "game-changing" treatment for COVID-19 based on no
   scientific evidence.

   The attorney general, who was tapped to succeed Jeff Sessions in
   December 2018, has repeatedly echoed Trump's frustration with
   stay-at-home orders imposed by states, likening them to "house arrest"
   even as Barr has acknowledged the states' right to take emergency
   measures during a crisis.

   Barr, who first served as attorney general under the late President
   George H.W. Bush, once enjoyed bipartisan support. But since taking the
   reins of the Justice Department in early 2019, he's faced harsh
   criticism from Democrats for promoting of Trump's interests. His
   efforts to blunt the findings of the Robert Mueller investigation into
   the Trump campaign's ties to Russia led many to deride him as the
   "president's personal lawyer."

   Barr's support for Trump's efforts have not been limited to rhetoric.

   After Trump last month asserted "total authority" over state governors
   in setting policy only to walk back the claim, Barr's Justice
   Department put the weight of the federal government behind a small
   Mississippi church that defied a ban on drive-in religious services.

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