A contributor for Fox News set Twitter alight on Thursday for wearing a protective vest during a report from the U.S.-Mexico border.
Critics accused Lawrence Jones of trying to exaggerate the danger after a photo he shared of himself went viral:
Jones insisted in subsequent tweets that U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers instructed him to wear the safety gear.
Jones appeared later on Sean Hannity’s Fox News show, wearing a larger protective vest. Jones claimed on the show that that CBP agents supplied him with the body armor for his own protection.
Jones earlier posted this picture of himself with CBP agents at the border. Neither he nor the border agents appear to be wearing protective gear.
Reporters who have covered the border and other Twitter users, including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), actor-comedian Rob Delaney and celebrity chef José Andrés, all chimed in on Jones’ outfit.
Jones even inspired a mini-“Photoshop Battle.”