Former Attorney General Bill Barr praised Minnesota business leaders on Tuesday for refusing to cave to “activist pressure” to denounce federal law enforcement following anti-ICE protests.
Reacting to an open letter from the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce urging cooperation between federal and state authorities, Barr told The Daily Wire that he was encouraged by the development.
Barr was the attorney general from 2019 to 2020, when corporations lined up behind the Black Lives Matter movement.
“I applaud business leaders who did not bow to activist pressure to refuse any cooperation with federal law enforcement,” he said. “Fidelity to the ‘rule of law’ demands all citizens to respect the authority of the federal government to faithfully implement federal law throughout the nation, even in communities where it is unpopular. Without that authority, as George Washington observed, there could be no true national government.”
Barr’s comments come after dozens of business executives signed onto an open letter urging peace and cooperation among local, state, and federal authorities following the deadly shooting of an armed protester by Border Patrol during anti-ICE protests.
The open letter, signed by executives from major companies including Target and Best Buy, said business leaders were working behind the scenes to facilitate communication between the Trump administration and Minnesota officials.
“These efforts have included close communication with the Governor, the White House, the Vice President and local mayors. There are ways for us to come together to foster progress,” they wrote on January 25. “With yesterday’s tragic news, we are calling for an immediate deescalation of tensions and for state, local and federal officials to work together to find real solutions.”
In recent days, leftist activists have pressured companies like Target to ban Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers from its parking lots and stores.
Conservative commentators noted a stark contrast between how corporations responded in 2020 following George Floyd’s death and the more cautious, neutral approach many companies are taking amid the current anti-ICE protests.
“It’s encouraging to see companies choosing restraint at a moment when political pressure from the left is often the loudest and most unhinged voice in the room,” Consumers’ Research Executive Director Will Hild wrote on X. “A business response prioritizing neutrality, safety and their core responsibility to customers and employees = commendable and a stark departure from 2020 escalatory statements from corporate America.”
