During an interview with The Atlantic , Utah Sen. Mitt Romney admitted that he had a secret Twitter account, which was quickly unearthed under the alias “Pierre Delecto.” As The Inquisitr reported, Romney used this account to defend himself and attack a few of his fellow Republicans, including Rudy Giuliani, Newt Gingrich, and Lindsey Graham.
In a recent Breitbart op-ed, columnist John Nolte blasted Romney for his decision and didn’t mince his words.
“He’s so insecure and hungry for approval, but so cowardly and craven in not wanting to correct or criticize his abusers in the media directly, that he cowers in their mentions under the cloak of just another anonymous nobody.”
Nolte suggests that Romney’s decision to “set the record straight” outside of his verified Twitter account is rooted in his fear of “corrupt” media outlets.
The 53-year-old author was also highly critical of Romney taking the interview with The Atlantic in the first place due to author McKay Coppins allegedly attempting to harm Romney’s 2016 campaign.
CNN’s Chris Cillizza wrote an article that suggests a different motive for Romney’s secret Twitter account. According to Cillizza, the decision is a reflection of the current state of the Republican Party, highlighting that the 2012 Republican presidential nominee felt the need to defend his party — but anonymously.
CONFIRMED: Senator Mitt Romney (R-UT) Has Been Secretly Following This Twitter Feed pic.twitter.com/jziOYqwhs8
— Seth Abramson (@SethAbramson) October 21, 2019
Although Romney has been more critical of Trump than most elected GOP officials, Cillizza suggests that he hasn’t committed to any criticism in a significant way.
“Instead, he’s used a fake Twitter person to defend himself and his image. Which works nicely as a metaphor for how elected Republican officials, more broadly, are dealing with Trump: light criticism (at most) in public and open anger, frustration and near-rebellion behind the scenes or covered by the anonymity of quotes without their names attached.”
According to Cillizza, this move ultimately has no effect on Trump or the direction of the GOP under his rule.
Outside his secret Twitter, Romney also used the interview to speak about his feelings on the impeachment probe into Trump. He suggests that he’s open to the possibility of the president being removed from his office and claims that people will look back on the probe as an important turning point in United States history.
He also spoke about Trump’s character, which he believes affects his performance in office. According to Romney, lying, berating people, or demeaning classes of people falls into the public domain when you’re president, as nothing is private.
The 72-year-old was previously critical of Trump’s public calls to both China and Ukraine to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden.