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Jack Dorsey, Twitter's CEO, Blasted For Patronizing Chick-Fil-A

June 11, 2018 / 2:12 PM CDT / CBS Chicago

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(CBS) -- Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey found himself back pedaling after tweeting about using Chick-fil-A's mobile app, saying he'd forgotten about the fast-food chain's history of opposing gay marriage.

Dorsey found himself the subject of a tweetstorm after he posted a screenshotshowing how he'd saved 10 percent using Chick-fil-A's app at one of the fast-food chain's outlets in Los Angeles.

"This is an interesting company to boost during Pride month, Jack," tweeted former CNN anchor Soledad O'Brien, noting June is the month designated to celebrate LGBT communities around the world.

This is an interesting company to boost during Pride month, @jack https://t.co/Wmhq6Obrp1
— Soledad O'Brien (@soledadobrien) June 10, 2018

Others also chimed in, with Dorsey offering a mea culpa in reply to O'Brien, saying he "completely forgot" about the company's background -- a statement that didn't go over well with some conservative Christians, who also took to social media to weigh in.

You're right. Completely forgot about their background
— jack⚡️ (@jack) June 10, 2018

Chick-fil-A was the target of nationwide protests in 2012 after CEO Dan Cathy voiced his support for "the biblical definition of the family unit."

The marriage controversy did help the company's chicken sandwiches become a favorite among Washington conservatives, with Chick-fil-A for a time catering a monthly event for House conservatives hosted by the Heritage Foundation. An Atlantic reporter found House Republicans spent just $345 in taxpayer funds on Chick-fil-A in the three years before the 2012 controversy and nearly $13,00 in the following two years.

The private company's conservative Christian leanings also came into view recently when EPA head Scott Pruitt explained why he had looked into having his wife own a Chick-fil-A franchise. "I love, she loves, we love Chick-fil-A as a franchise of faith," Pruitt told a reporter.

Chick-fil-A did not immediately return requests for comment.

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