A largely flattering profile of Sen. Mitt Romney positioning him as the GOP iconoclast poised to challenge President Donald Trump‘s unmitigated recklessness and possibly vote for his impeachment was published by The Atlantic on Sunday, October 20. In the story, Romney admitted to using a secret burner account to follow political news on Twitter, but declined to give out the name.
Fortunately, it only took Slate’s Ashley Feinberg about 30 minutes to find that the failed 2012 presidential candidate and avowed Killers fan lurks on Twitter under the pseudonym Pierre Delecto, which sounds like an assumed name Pepé Le Pew would use for a fake passport. (Romney would later confirm that he is, indeed, Mr. Delecto.)
Like the Real Housewives, Pierre Delecto loves being messy, but instead of throwing wine on Kim Richards, Romney’s alter ego likes to (we assume) pour himself a tall glass of milk, kick off his wingtips, and engage with all the tweets roasting his colleagues that he doesn’t have to courage to like on his official Twitter account. Before the Utah senator locked down his burner account, journalists managed to grab a few screenshots of Republican’s secret online life.
Here is Pierre Delecto making sure his alter ego gets proper credit for supporting Senate Intel chair Richard Burr’s (R-NC) call to subpoena Donald Trump Jr. to testify in the Russian election interference probe.
Pierre Delecto, likely Mitt Romney’s ghost account, follows about 700 people, including politicians and operatives. Also political reporters, including @StevenTDennis and me.https://t.co/I714tZ29j0 pic.twitter.com/btdv0W5zpB
— Jennifer Jacobs (@JenniferJJacobs) October 21, 2019
Here’s Pierre Delecto delighting in Newt Gingrich getting called out as a hypocrite and serial philanderer.
Mitt Romney and New Gingrich don’t like each other. That is not news. Romney once called him a “failed leader” who “resigned in disgrace.” #PierreDelecto also does not care for Newt Gingrich, as demonstrated by his like of this tweet. 3/ pic.twitter.com/B8oCtzjA9j
— Don Moynihan (@donmoyn) October 20, 2019
Fortunately, Gingrich is no longer in the Senate, so Romney won’t have to worry about any awkward run-ins on the job. The same can’t be said for senators Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Marco Rubio (R-FL), however. Both of them were once unapologetic Trump detractors turned shameless sycophants. Romney liked a few tweets that called Graham and Rubio’s character, integrity, and courage into question. The irony that he did so under the cover of a burner account isn’t lost on us.
Pierre Delecto/maybe-Mitt also liked this tweet suggesting that this is the defining image of Marco Rubio. Some uncomfortable moments ahead in the Senate. 6/ pic.twitter.com/QKzABnbSUh
— Don Moynihan (@donmoyn) October 20, 2019
Delecto also enjoyed this tweet in which Trump attack dog Rudy Giuliani (aka his lawyer) was compared to an unspecified Batman villain.
Pierre Delecto/maybe-Mitt also liked this tweet about Rudy Giuliani turn into a Batman villain (which one though? I am going to do with Danny de Vito’s Penguin for those who are old enough to remember). 4/ pic.twitter.com/xqqTt4OqAP
— Don Moynihan (@donmoyn) October 20, 2019
Slate also has a few great screengrabs of Delecto defending Romney’s character to Soledad O’Brien and Jennifer Rubin after they called him out for “spinelessness” and for allegedly having having “no moral character.”
If you’re going to argue that you are indeed courageous, then it helps to do so under your own name and not the pretend cartoon skunk name you assigned yourself.
