Former congressman Harold Ford, Jr. (D-TN) appeared Thursday as a guest on Fox News with a portrait of communist revolutionary Mao Zedong on the wall behind him.
Ford was featured as a panelist on "Special Report" with host Bret Baier, providing analysis on Trump's second impeachment.
Shortly after the program ended, Baier took to Twitter to defend his guest.
"[Ford] is renting a house in a vacation spot for a few weeks - he doesn't control the walls. Strong background analysis, but Harold is not a Maoist - he was elected in Tennessee," Baier said.
Ford also responded to the criticism, reiterating that his own home is not decorated with images of the communist dictator.
"As [Baier] said, I'm just renting a place - didn't choose the art - my house has Ali and MLK on the walls - no fan of Communist China or Mao - my public record and words on Fox and elsewhere about China prove that," Ford said.
