Paxton claims victory for religious freedom over San Antonio's Chick-fil-A decision
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who has been under criminal indictment on federal securities fraud charges for five years, is declaring a victory for “religious freedom” today (Monday, Sept. 14), after the United States Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration announced it would offer Chick-fil-A restaurants the chance to lease space in Terminal A of the San Antonio International Airport.
The San Antonio City Council voted in March of last year not to allow the chain to open a restaurant at the airport because of Chick-fil-A’s record of giving large donations to anti-LGBTQ organizations and the company CEO Dan Cathey’s stated opposition to marriage equality. Cathey said on a radio talk show in July 2012, “We’re inviting God’s judgment on our nation when we shake our fist at him and say we know better than you as to what constitutes a marriage. And I pray God’s mercy on our generation that has such a prideful, arrogant attitude that thinks we have the audacity to redefine what marriage is all about.”
Paxton’s announcement comes a week after he said during an interview on Fox News that the FAA’s investigation had concluded that the city’s ban on the restaurant at the airport violated First Amendment rights to freedom of religion and the transportation department’s guidelines. City officials, however, told KSAT Channel 12, it was the city’s decision, not the FAA’s order to offer Chick-fil-A space at the airport, and that neither Paxton nor any other state official had been involved in the agreement.
In a statement released to KSAT, city officials said: “The FAA has not ordered the city of San Antonio to have Chick-Fil-A at its airport. The city itself offered to resolve the FAA investigation informally following Chick-Fil-A’s publicly stated change-of-position on its charitable giving policy. The city maintains that at no point did it discriminate against Chick-Fil-A. Any placement of Chick-Fil-A at the San Antonio Airport is ultimately contingent on Chick-Fil-A’s continued interest and approval by the city council.
Read more: https://dallasvoice.com/paxton-claims-victory-for-religious-freedom-over-san-antonios-chick-fil-a-decision/
Paxton takes credit where no credit is due.