Republican VP nominee Paul Ryan was heavily criticized yesterday for a recent photo op at a soup kitchen that didn't involve helping any actual poor people.

Among the critics calling out Ryan and his camp for their sham goodwill gesture is Brian J. Antal, president of the Ohio charity that runs the soup kitchen in question.

Speaking with the Washington Post, Antal says Ryan "did not have permission" to stage the photo op, and simply "ramrodded their way" in with the help of a volunteer.

"The photo-op they did wasn't even accurate," Antal said. "He did nothing. He just came in here to get his picture taken at the dining hall."

Indeed, as noted by a pool reporter, the soup kitchen was empty by the time Ryan and his family arrived, and volunteers had already scrubbed clean all the dishes from breakfast. That didn't stop Ryan, his wife, and their three children from putting on aprons and scrubbing clean dishes for a few minutes while photographers took photos.

Antal said his charity was "apolitical" and couldn't appear to be picking sides. "I can't afford to lose funding from these private individuals," he told the Post. "If this was the Democrats, I'd have the same exact problem."

[photo via AP, video via CBS News]