Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) has described Gov. Andy Beshear (D-KY) as “drunk with power” for his lockdown policies in a Friday interview with local radio network WBRT.
“We’ve got a governor who is sort of drunk with power, and he’s deciding all the rules for opening your business, and it’s like ‘Who made him economic czar?” Paul told the host. “It’s a real big mistake to put so much power in a single person’s hands.”
In particular, Paul criticized Beshear’s threats against churches that continued in-person services during the state lockdown.
“The governor basically threatened them with home arrest,” Paul said. “I think it was an insult. I can’t think of anything more un-American or unconstitutional than telling someone they can’t go to church.”
Paul suggested the churches had taken adequate precautions to reduce the spread of coronavirus.
“From my understanding, it was like 20 people and they were sitting 20 feet apart,” he continued. “That really something that individuals must decide. I think it’s wrong to single out religion.”
The libertarian-minded Sen. Paul has emerged as a leading critic of the lockdown, accusing Governors of unnecessarily damaging the U.S. economy by taking excessive measures against the coronavirus. He previously noted that the virus had been “less deadly” than expected in a speech on the Senate floor, and urged immediately easing restrictions that were imposed after the pandemic hit the United States. Republican Governors across the nation have started to loosen restrictions, with Gov. Kristi Noem (R-SD) taking the lead in defending the liberties of her ctiizens.
