Sen. Mitt Romney Apparently Uses Twitter Alter Ego Named Pierre Delecto: ‘Objectively Terrific Fake Name’

Connor MannionOct 20th, 2019, 9:25 pm
 

According to a new report from Slate, Sen. Mitt Romney apparently operates an anonymous Twitter account under the name Pierre Delecto to monitor political news and commentary.

Slate’s Ashley Feinberg found the account based on details in a long-form profile of Romney by The Atlantic’s McKay Coppins published earlier on Sunday.

“He explained that he uses a secret Twitter account—“What do they call me, a lurker?”—to keep tabs on the political conversation. “I won’t give you the name of it,” he said, but “I’m following 668 people.” Swiping at his tablet, he recited some of the accounts he follows, including journalists, late-night comedians (“What’s his name, the big redhead from Boston?”), and athletes.”

Based on these details, it was apparently enough for Feinberg to suss out a user under the handle @qaws9876 and the much more interesting name of “Pierre Delecto.” The account protected itself soon after Slate published.

“In general, the account follows everyone you might expect someone like Mitt Romney to follow. There’s the late Charles Krauthammer, the late John McCain, Larry Kudlow, Rupert Murdoch, Bill Kristol, Matt Schapp, and—who else but—Peggy Noonan. It also follows all the people you would expect someone who is exactly Mitt Romney to follow. There are all of the available Romney children, a number of former Romney advisers and aides (like, a lot), and quite a few reporters who’ve directly covered Romney or his various campaigns (like Ashley Parker, Matt Viser, Phillip Rucker, Steven Peoples, and Coppins himself, all of whom were on the Romney beat in 2012, among others).”

A number of journalists delighted in the news of the apparent alter ego, and many attempted to puzzle out what the meaning of the name Pierre Delecto could be.

UPDATE: McKay Coppins said he asked Romney about Pierre Delecto. He responded C’est moi (French for it’s me).

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