This is either a completely boneheaded framing shot by an Associated Press photographer, or one of the most deliberate images of bias yet seen in the media.

You make the call.

The picture is available for purchase for media usage on the AP’s images website. Here is the same angle, uncropped:

WHAT on earth was photographer Charlie Neibergall thinking???

@ThePoliticalHat @AP @tedcruz As a photographer, that is not a normal angle from which to take a picture UNLESS you're trying to do this.

— Pam D (@lifebythecreek) June 22, 2015

As multiple people have pointed out, there is no way on this earth that a Democratic candidate is photographed with the image of a gun pointed at their forehead. Imagine the outcry if this had been a picture of Hillary Clinton.

So, who is this photographer, Charlie Neibergall? He boasts an impressive list of photographs in his professional resume. He is a bicycle enthusiast, according to his Facebook page, and is participating in a MS fundraiser. His Twitter feed is full of retweets of stories that contain pictures that he’s taken. While there is nothing overtly political about this photographer’s public profile, clearly, this was a moment where he either was trying to make his own political statement, or he’s just a really bad photographer. Given his extensive list of photographs, I’m not thinking this was unintentional. And then who is the nameless editor who decided these pictures were just AWESOME and let’s put them out there for media usage? There were other photos that Neibergall took that could have just as easily been used. Example here:

This was not an oopsie on the part of photographer or editor. After all, how many times has Barack Obama been given a “halo” in photographs?
https://twitter.com/JohnRiversToo/status/612775270345482240
Many, many times.

@DWStweets took time off polishing Obama's halo to notice GOP "ring kissing" cc: @RuthRavve @Clay_Masters @linhmaita pic.twitter.com/mX5WacE3Nm

— Skip Clarke (@SkipClarke) January 24, 2015

The Associated Press is supposed to cover the news, not make the news. They should be making an apology.