'Pierre Delecto:' Mitt Romney admits Twitter alter ego

(Reuters) - Republican Senator Mitt Romney has admitted to using a secret Twitter account under the pseudonym "Pierre Delecto" to follow politicians, journalists and fan accounts for himself, Slate Magazine reported.

Romney mentioned his use of the secret account in a profile published in the Atlantic on Sunday, referring to himself as a "lurker" for surreptitiously following the political conversation on social media.

After a Slate reporter identified Romney's secret account under the name "Pierre Delecto," Romney, who represents Utah, confirmed to the Atlantic that the account was his.

"C'est moi," Romney said in confirmation over the phone, the Atlantic reported.

Representatives for Romney were not immediately available for comment.

The account, which was opened a month after Romney announced his presidential bid in June 2011, had 702 followers and was following 1,172 as of Monday morning. It is now private.

It follows politicians, Romney family members, political advisers, reporters who covered his campaigns, Romney fan accounts, as well as NFL star Tom Brady and late night comedian Jimmy Fallon, Slate reported.

The account had tweeted only 10 times and all in reply to other tweets, Slate reported. One tweet condemned U.S. President Trump's decision to withdraw American forces from northeastern Syria, a move that Romney has criticized publicly.

"John, agree on Trump's awful decision, but what could the Senate do to stop it?" Pierre Delecto tweeted in reply to Twitter user @jwgop on Oct. 9.

Romney is one of few Republicans who has publicly disavowed Trump as a series of controversies have unfolded since he entered the White House in January 2017.

Romney has stood behind the Democratic-led impeachment inquiry of Trump in Congress, saying he's open to removing his fellow Republican from office depending on the results of the investigation. Trump has used Twitter, one of his favourite ways of communicating, to hit back at Romney.

Romney does not follow the president on Twitter because, he told the Atlantic, he believes the president tweets too much.

(Reporting by Gabriella Borter; editing by Grant McCool)