CARY, NC -- Fresh from lunch at Chick-Fil-A, former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty said that officials' public objections to the Christian-owned fast food chain are "chilling."
"Now you have the police power of government intimidating and threatening people, being used to intimidate and threaten people, based on their free speech rights and their religious views," Pawlenty said Saturday of city officials' objections to president Dan Cathy's public disavowal of gay marriage. "I mean its chilling. I mean its stunning, it is jaw-dropping. And so I think strong people who see this need to stand up and say no we dont do that in the United States."
Several elected officials, including the mayor of Boston, have said that they will discourage the opening of new Chick-Fil-A franchises.
Pawlenty noted said that he had sampled Chick-Fil-A's products for lunch earlier Saturday. "It was awesome," he said of the chicken strips and waffle fries he ordered.