Brookfield alderman stands by Muslim, immigrant comments

BROOKFIELD, Wis. - Brookfield Ald. Kris Seals is standing by controversial comments on his since-deleted LinkedIn profile about Muslims and immigrants after a resident shared them with FOX6 News.

Lemoine: "'They are a sick religion. This must stop. Deport them all.' Is that you?"
Seals: "I won't admit or deny."

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‘I have a right to say how I feel’

What they're saying:

At first, Seals would not say if the LinkedIn page where the comments were posted was his. But after a few minutes, he referenced several of the posts.

Seals: "It’s obnoxious, these people."
Lemoine: "'These people' being Muslims?"
Seals: "Being extreme Muslims. Let's make sure you get that word in there. It's not all Muslims."

Seals did not use those words online. FOX6 combed through his page and found comments like: "It's time to wipe out the immigrants from Britain and all of the EU." In at least two other posts, he referenced shooting Muslims with "Bacon rapped [sic] bullets."

Seals: "Did I actually say that, or did I just grab somebody else’s information?" 
Lemoine: "It was one of your posts. You spelled ‘wrapped’ wrong, but it was one of your posts."

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There was also a post on Seals' page about hanging former President Barack Obama.

And there was only one post Seals said he regrets – one that implies shooting criminals in the head to avoid court and prison costs. Seals said it would also help by "eliminating the Dems from becoming involved in trying to save their voter base."

"Sometimes we say a lot of things online that we don’t necessarily mean," Seals said, later adding. "I have a right to say how I feel."

This week, Seals ran unopposed for reelection. He tried to pivot to talking about the election during our interview on Thursday.

Lemoine: "I'm more interested in what your intentions are with your LinkedIn page."
Seals: "I think it’s to bring more visibility to the problems we have – those are problems."

A check of Seals' LinkedIn page after our interview showed his profile had been deleted, the website displaying a message that states: "This page doesn't exist."

Official statements

What they're saying:

Brookfield's city attorney wrote in a statement to FOX6: "The city does not create, manage, monitor or endorse any personal social media pages for its elected officials or employees."

Nolan Accounting Center, Seals' employer, said via email: "I was not aware of these posts and have not had a chance to look into this further. Kris does not speak for our firm or myself."

Imran Riaz, president of the Islamic Society of Milwaukee Brookfield, provided the following statement:

"I have reviewed the posts, and the statements attributed to Kris Seals and they are deeply concerning.

"Rhetoric that calls for harm or targets any religious group is unacceptable and does not reflect the values of our broader community.

"It’s important to be clear that these views do not represent our Brookfield community. In fact, our community is made up of professionals, small business owners, doctors, engineers, and families who contribute positively every day to the fabric of this city.

"Unfortunately, this kind of language often stems from misunderstanding and lack of exposure. We remain committed to engagement over division.

"We would welcome the opportunity for Kris Seals to meet with us, spend time in our community, and see firsthand the values, contributions, and character of the people he is speaking about.

"Our focus continues to be on building understanding, strengthening community ties, and ensuring that Brookfield remains a place of respect and safety for everyone."

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