AG Landry Writes Scathing Letter to Gov. About COVID Mandates
I don't think it's any secret that Governor John Bel Edwards and Attorney General Jeff Landry, at least professionally, don't like each other. Off and on over the years, the two have been locked into a never ending rivalry. From state finances to Gubernatorial elections, the two have been adversaries more often than allies. The latest chapter in the two's feud is over COVID-19 restrictions and mandates.
While the Governor maintains that he's following guidelines set forth by the White House, CDC and other experts on coronaviruses, AG Landry seems to think that Edwards is making the issue political and making it almost impossible for businesses to survive the mandates enacted by the Governor.
Last week, Landry issued an opinion that the Governor's mask mandate was "likely unconstitutional". The Governor fired by back by picking apart the Attorney General's opinion and claimed that the AG skipped most important meetings about COVID response. "Almost every other statewide official participates in these meetings personally, yet the Attorney General does not," Edwards wrote in his response. You can read Edwards' full response here.
It would seem that the Attorney General took the weekend to respond to the Governor and posted the scathing letter on his FB page this morning. The 2 and a half page letter criticized the Governor for praising protesters for exercising their 1st Amendment rights while stomping on the rights of others. The AG was also highly critical of the Governor's mandate because it puts the burden of enforcement on business owners who are already struggling.
"I think all citizens should take every measure possible to protect their own health, safety, and lives. I also believe we should give them every opportunity to do so. We should not turn neighbor against neighbor. We should not attempt to turn our job creators into state-run police. And we should be thoughtful and responsible to all, equally. You have not done so under these recent actions," Landry wrote in his letter.
You can read Landry's entire letter below:
If history of their rivalry holds true, Governor John Bel Edwards will respond to the AG's letter some time this week.