Milardo criticizes Schlag on ‘Fox & Friends’

Calls her ‘vindictive,’ says she’s turning her Pledge stance into a partisan issue

HADDAM — The vehemence and public outcry generated by the town’s third in command again cast itself onto the national stage Thursday when First Selectman Lizz Milardo made a guest appearance on “Fox & Friends.”

Milardo, a Republican, responded to the ongoing ruction sparked when Democratic Selectman Melissa Schlag knelt for the second time in two weeks when the Pledge of Allegiance was recited at the Board of Selectmen meeting.

Schlag said she did so for a number of reasons, including President Donald Trump’s meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin the same day Schlag initially took a knee, and the immigration crisis at the Texas border, where more than 2,000 children were initially detained. Since then, many have been reunited with their families, but hundreds of other children remain confined, according to news reports.

Schlag wrote a two-page letter July 20, which she posted on Facebook under the title “Dear America,” justifying her position. She listed a number of other reasons for her stance in the missive.

On Monday, Schlag knelt

on two knees, hand over her heart, prompting the bottled-up fury and frustration of her detractors who filled the Haddam Volunteer Fire Co. bay to shout the Pledge.

The meeting was moved to the station because it holds nearly 300 people, Milardo said Monday.

“I have no intention of resigning. Something that was a silent 10 seconds has blown up across the world, and it doesn’t need to be this difficult to get your point across,” Schlag said during a segment on The Colin McEnroe Show on WNPR this week, “Kneeling as an Act of Protest.”

The “Fox & Friends” show hosts asked Milardo to react to Schlag’s statement to a friend as the Board of Selectmen’s meeting wrapped up Monday night. Schlag’s remarks that the town is “fascist and racist” were caught on an 11-second, widely circulated video.

“Melissa is vindictive, and if you don’t agree with her, she dismisses it, and she doesn’t think twice about

going on social media and calling people out,” Milardo told “Fox & Friends,” adding that the controversy is not about party affiliation — Republicans vs. Democrats.

“She’s been trying to turn it into that. This is a patriotic issue. This is something where we represent the town — you don’t have to like the president, you don’t have to go by what he has to say, but we’re a nation, and we should all be able to come together and have that level of respect,” Milardo said on the TV segment.

Milardo wasn't available for comment before press time due to work obligations.

Schlag acknowledged she voiced that opinion about a “fascist and racist” town while under great stress following an hourlong public session she described as a “stoning.”

However, Schlag said, she has always put Haddam first and has worked tirelessly for the town for years.

“I take great offense to Mrs. Milardo’s statements, and she clearly doesn’t see the racism and fascist ideals among some in our quaint little town that we must all work hard to address. For 10

“Melissa is vindictive, and if you don’t agree with her, she dismisses it, and she doesn’t think twice about going on social media and calling people out.”

First Selectman Lizz Milardo

seconds of a private protest, I was met with caustic attacks at a meeting where veterans told me I urinated on the graves of dead soldiers, booed their own pledge, and yelled at another veteran to ‘get out’ when he defended my right to kneel,” Schlag said.

Wednesday, Schlag offered an apology and challenge to her champions and detractors on the “You Live in Haddam If” Facebook page.

Schlag apologized “for making it seem like I thought all of Haddam was racist and fascist. That could not be further from the truth. However, there are strong veins of fascism (forced patriotism) and racism running deep in Haddam,” she said earlier this week.

Milardo said her community is very upset, and she has been fielding calls and emails about Schlag’s actions since July 16.

“I got a call from a veteran who said he’d rather not have me say the Pledge of Allegiance before the meeting than have to sit and watch her take a knee,” she said. “He was crying. It was very upsetting.”

Schlag said she has been viciously attacked online.

As part of her apology, Schlag said, she never intended her words “fascist and racist” to be directed at the entire town.

Milardo said Schlag’s harsh criticism put her over the top.

“When I heard her say the town … because some of the residents disagreed with her, they were labeled as fascist and racist. And that’s wrong.”

Milardo