# Pierre Delecto Pierre Delecto is the pseudonymous Twitter handle Senator Mitt Romney secretly used from 2015 to lurk online and quietly defend himself against critics. His cover was blown on October 20, 2019 after an Atlantic profile hinted at a hidden account, Slate reporter Ashley Feinberg traced it to @qaws9876, and Romney confirmed it with 'c'est moi.' The oddly suave fake name turned into a same-day Twitter joke, with users riffing on its resemblance to the legal Latin phrase 'in pari delicto.' ## Origin Pierre Delecto's first tweet went up on December 27, 2015, when @qaws9876 replied to a Fox News post about the New Hampshire presidential primary with 'why isn't your NH poll up on your website?'[3]. The account stayed quiet for stretches, surfacing to defend Romney in the third person. On May 9, 2019, Pierre Delecto added to a Steven Dennis thread about Senate Intelligence Chairman Richard Burr, noting that Romney had told the Post he had confidence in Burr[1]. The persona was outed on October 20, 2019 after McKay Coppins published 'The Liberation of Mitt Romney' in The Atlantic, in which Romney admitted to running a 'lurker' account that followed 668 people to track political chatter[2]. Hours later, Slate's Ashley Feinberg used clues from the interview, especially Romney's known relatives, to trace the account to @qaws9876, after which The Atlantic received a one-line 'c'est moi' confirmation from the senator[1]. - **Platform:** Twitter (2015 account creation) / The Atlantic and Slate (2019 reveal) - **Creator:** Mitt Romney - **Date:** 2019 ## Overview Under the Pierre Delecto handle, Romney clapped back at reporters, corrected the record on his own voting history, and told pundits to 'take a breath' when he felt coverage went too hard on him[1]. Posts stayed brief and defensive rather than confrontational, which fit his public image as a conflicted Republican voice during the first Trump impeachment inquiry[2]. After the reveal, the joke centered on the name itself. Users riffed on how a sitting U.S. senator picked a handle that sounded like a French Casanova or a Harlequin-novel love interest[3]. Twitter speculation also tied it to 'in pari delicto,' a legal Latin term for two parties being equally at fault, a reading that fit Romney's law-school background[3]. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What is Pierre Delecto? Pierre Delecto is the pseudonymous Twitter handle Senator Mitt Romney used to lurk and quietly defend himself online, exposed in October 2019[1]. ### Where did Pierre Delecto come from? The @qaws9876 account posted its first tweet on December 27, 2015, and was traced to Romney by Slate's Ashley Feinberg on October 20, 2019 after an Atlantic interview[1]. ### What does Pierre Delecto mean? Twitter users guessed it was a play on 'in pari delicto,' the legal Latin phrase for two parties sharing fault, which fit Romney's law background[3]. ### How do you use Pierre Delecto? It is not a template, so the name is used as a joke reference whenever public figures run anonymous sock-puppet or 'lurker' accounts, as Romney admitted to doing[2]. ### Is Pierre Delecto still popular? The joke peaked in October 2019 around the reveal and faded afterward, though it is still cited when secret politician accounts come up[1]. ## References 1. [https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2019/10/mitt-romney-has-a-secret-twitter-account-and-it-sure-looks-like-its-this-one.html]() 2. [https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2019/10/mitt-romney-middle-impeachment-fight/600373/]() 3. [https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/pierre-delecto]() --- Source: https://meme.com/memes/pierre-delecto Published by meme.com — The Internet Meme Library