US Republican Senator Mitt Romney has revealed he uses a secret Twitter account under the name Pierre Delecto.
In an interview with The Atlantic magazine on Sunday, the former presidential candidate admitted he had a “lurker” Twitter handle to follow the US political conversation anonymously.
While he did not reveal its name, US news site Slate posted an article speculating it could be Pierre Delecto, @qaws9876.
Asked to confirm by a journalist, Mr Romney said, “C’est moi” (“It’s me”).
The Utah senator and former governor of Massachusetts is an outspoken critic of President Donald Trump, a fellow Republican. It is unknown why he chose the account name, Pierre Delecto.
How was his secret exposed?
News first broke of the secret Twitter account in a profile piece written by McKay Coppins in The Atlantic.
Coppins asked the senator about President Trump’s prolific tweeting – including attacks on Mr Romney himself – and prompted the revelation that he “uses a secret Twitter account – ‘What do they call me, a lurker?’ – to keep tabs on the political conversation”.
The senator did not give away the name, but listed some of the roughly 700 accounts he follows – including journalists, athletes and comedians.
Mr Trump was not among them. Mr Romney said in the interview the president “tweets so much”, comparing him to his niece on Instagram. “I love her, but it’s like, Ah, it’s too much.”
Who is Pierre Delecto?
All this was not enough for Slate journalist Ashley Feinberg, who launched an investigation into what possible account the senator could be using.
Scouring Mr Romney’s grandchildren’s Twitter accounts revealed Twitter user @qaws9876, known as Pierre Delecto. The account has since been made private.
It first opened on the social media site in July 2011, one month after Mr Romney announced plans to run for the presidency. Pierre Delecto follows a number of Mr Romney’s family members and former aides.
The account has only tweeted a handful of times, all in reply to other tweets.
