An old tweet of BarProducts CEO Mark Hastings pushing the idea that liberals should not be hired has been surfaced following the controversy over his selfie at last month's Capitol siege. A growing number of bartenders boycotted BarProducts after Hastings supported the deadly insurrection on Jan. 6.
On Monday, Hastings' tweet from 2018 made rounds on Twitter after Fortune posted its screenshot on its website. In the now-deleted tweet he posted a photo of a notice that said: "Job Applicants Please Note: We do not hire LIBERALS."
Hastings tagged then-President Donald Trump and wrote: "Dear Mr. President, @realDonaldTrump Would you agree this should not be illegal?"
Hastings faced backlash after he posted a selfie on Facebook from the Capitol siege and captioned it: "Stop the Steal!" In the photo, the 61-year-old was surrounded by rioters at the Capitol on Jan 6. He deleted the post following the backlash but screenshots of the post were circulated on social media.
Boycott of BarProducts
Several bartenders told the Wall Street Journal that they would be not be associating themselves with BarProducts and would use alternate supply firms. BarProducts that sold bar equipment, décor and tools, defended Hastings in a now-deleted Instagram post.
"A man that practices his freedom of speech on his PERSONAL Facebook page is getting bashed all over social media and as a result, our company is also getting bashed," the post read.
Hastings also requested the Journal to reconsider the timing of publishing their article.
"I urge you to reconsider your timing and run the article (that I'd be obliged to help with), at a time when conservative free speech is not under attack," he told the news outlet in an email.
Hastings was one of several business executives who faced criticism for supporting the insurrection. My Pillow CEO Mike Lindell — a long-time ally of Trump — saw his company's products pulled out from Bed Bath & Beyond.
Goosehead Insurance, a Texas-based law firm, said last month that attorney Paul Davis was no longer employed by the firm. The statement came after Davis was seen in social media posts saying, "We're all trying to get into the Capitol to stop this."
Cognesia, an Illinois-based data analytics firms, tweeted that its CEO Brad Rukstales was placed on a leave of absence after he participated in the Capitol siege. Rukstales issued an apology calling his decision to enter the Capitol was "wrong" and that "it was the single worst personal decision of my life."
The Capitol violence led to the death of five people and a permanent ban of Trump from Twitter, where he encouraged his followers to show up at Washington D.C. to protest the certification of Electoral College votes.
