A town official in Haddam, Conn., faced backlash from the community and beyond for kneeling on two separate occasions during the Pledge of Allegiance before Board of Selectmen meetings.

The first time Melissa Schlag, a Democrat, knelt for the pledge was on July 16, just hours after President Trump concluded his first bilateral meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Helsinki. She was in a room only with other town officials, but the moment was caught on camera.

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