Ron Paul Tweet on Murdered Navy SEAL Sniper Chris Kyle Sparks Outrage

Former Texas Rep. Ron Paul may have stepped down from his post in Congress, but he's far from out of the public eye.

The one-time presidential nominee took heat Monday after posting an inflammatory tweet about recently deceased former Navy SEAL sniper Chris Kyle, who allegedly died at the hands of an Iraq War veteran.

Paul posed the controversial message on Monday.

Chris Kyle's death seems to confirm that "he who lives by the sword dies by the sword." Treating PTSD at a firing range doesn't make sense

— Ron Paul (@RonPaul) February 4, 2013

Kyle was allegedly shot to death by Eddie Ray Routh, a veteran who apparently has post-traumatic stress disorder, at a shooting range in Texas on Saturday. He is awaiting trial.

Users were quick to respond to Paul's tweet.

"The man is dead. Show some respect," user @SHannitysHair wrote. "The sad thing is if our government did the work properly then men like Chris wouldn't have to. Sad to see him go trying to help," @waynepennell said. Republican strategist Rick Wilson wrote, "you really are vile," to Paul.

One user implied that someone had written the tweet for him.

An all-new episode of Fire that Intern! RT @ronpaul Chris Kyle's death seems to confirm that "he who lives by the sword dies by the sword."

— Neal D. (@Neal_Dewing) February 4, 2013

The user's prediction is not true. Even if interns or PR experts ran Paul's Twitter feed in the past, a spokesperson for him confirmed to Buzzfeed that the 77-year-old writes his own tweets.

"He runs it," Campaign for Liberty communications director Megan Stiles said. She told Buzzfeed that Paul has been handling his Twitter feed since he left office, as far back as Jan. 3.

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