Tomi Lahren, the conservative commentator who recently joined Fox News and has been an outspoken critic of NFL football players who kneel during the national anthem, is being accused of desecrating the American flag for a Halloween photo.
The young pundit posted a photo of herself wearing the flag like a cape as a backdrop to a blue "Make America Great Again" swimsuit and a stars-and-stripes fanny pack around her waist. The photo remains posted on her Instagram account Monday afternoon.
The caption on her post reads, “Oh, L.A., get ready to find your safe spaces! What am I? Well if you’re a conservative, I’m American (as expletive). If you’re a (liberal), I’m ‘offensive.’ Let’s go.”
Flag lovers lambasted Lahren for handling the flag in a manner that violates U.S. Flag Code 36 U.S.C. 176 ,which reads: "The flag should never be used as wearing apparel, bedding, or drapery."
@TomiLahren's version of "taking the knee"? Seriously, utter contempt for the flag on her part. pic.twitter.com/aH8xjVaGa8
— (((Golem))) (@DanielBen_Del) October 30, 2017
doesnt matter if she directly referred to the code or not. She made it abt disrespecting the flag. According to the code, she is too.
— Karla Archer (@karlaarcher) October 30, 2017
The flag has issue has been front-and-center for months because of the increased scrutiny on the NFL protests.
“I would like to ask these players ‘What exactly are you kneeling for and why have you chosen the flag and the anthem to do it?’” Lahren recently said on Fox and Friends. “I would like to ask those same players, ‘What would it take to get you to stand and respect the anthem?’”
Some NFL players have been kneeling in protest of racial injustice.
Lahren received support that NFL players have not. President Donald Trump's son, Donald Trump Jr., issued a message on Twitter defending Lahren against commentator Keith Olbermann.
In case you're worried you might be desecrating the flag without knowing it, here's a handy guide about what not to do with the American flag.
Cox Media Group