House Speaker Paul Ryan Paul Davis RyanKenosha will be a good bellwether in 2020 At indoor rally, Pence says election runs through Wisconsin Juan Williams: Breaking down the debates MORE's (R-Wis.) GOP primary challenger told a columnist in a tweet he should "eat a bullet."

The tweet came after Paul Nehlen — a far-right conservative who has a history of controversial statements — initially posted a video on Twitter earlier this week regarding legislation the House passed that would allow people to use permits for carrying concealed handguns across state lines while also boosting the background check system.

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New York Post columnist John Podhoretz responded to one of Nehlen's tweets, saying: “Maybe you should eat something. Your brain needs nourishment. It’s the size of a pea."

Nehlen then shot back at the columnist.

“Do us all a favor, Podhoretz. Eat a bullet," he tweeted.

Do us all a favor, Podhoretz.



Eat a bullet. https://t.co/8iDUJbfR8D — Paul Nehlen (@pnehlen) December 7, 2017

Nehlen later responded again to the tweet with what appeared to be an advertisement for a food called the "Boston bullet."

Nehlen badly lost a primary challenge to Ryan in 2016. During the campaign, he criticized Ryan, saying he has "hijacked this great country of ours."

He has also in the past said he supports a surveillance program for Muslims, saying in a past interview "we should be monitoring every mosque."

Ryan's campaign spokesman, Kevin Seifert, said in response to the tweets that it is the "latest embarrassing controversy that Paul Nehlen has created for himself," according to The Associated Press.