Agreed. I suspect most vendors could count on not getting a contract if they started negotiations with "I hate your CEO".
He lost the contract because he was a idiot.
Playing this out like it was some kind of freedom of speech angle is also completely stupid.
This prospective contractor was, for all intents and purposes, being interviewed by the HUD director for the opportunity to perform work on behalf of the USA.
He failed the interview when he opined about (1) "your boss" and (2) his political position. Neither of these would be a requirement for the work. Since he offered them up in the context of this "interview", he manifested a large degree of just plain "stuck on stupid" and a propensity to "shoot off his mouth".
Opportunity wasted. The HUD guy was justified in not promoting this agency for the contract.