Nikki Haley loses 1.67M Twitter followers due to Obama-era rules

Nikki Haley, who just stepped down as US ambassador to the UN, on Tuesday revealed her new Twitter account. She'd had to retire her official one and its 1.67 million followers upon leaving her post.

The ex-South Carolina governor -- chosen for the UN role by President Donald Trump in 2016 -- switched accounts due to an Obama-administration State Department rule that restricts social media use. The rule's aim is to stop officials from building their followings at the country's expense, NBC reported.

"Due to State Dept rules that were changed by the outgoing administration, I have had to clear my personal Twitter account that I have had for years. The followers, the history, the pictures, and all other content," she wrote.

But "clear" might not be the right verb -- instead, as noted by former Homeland Security Department counsel (and Obama appointee) Eric Columbus, Haley had to turn over control of the account. It's still available under @AmbNikkiHaley.

Haley has urged people to follow her new @NikkiHaley handle. As of Wednesday morning, that account already had more than 168,000 followers.

She announced her plan to leave the UN ambassador post in October, and said she wouldn't be running for president in 2020.

The State Department didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

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