Haley switches Twitter accounts, loses followers, previous posts due to Obama-era rule

Outgoing U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley on Tuesday announced that Obama-era social media rules are requiring her to shut down her official Twitter account, meaning she will lose all 1.67 million of her followers and posts from her time as U.N. ambassador. 

{mosads}”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,” Haley tweeted from her new personal Twitter account. “The followers, the history, the pictures, and all other content. Please refollow and retweet this to your friends. Here’s to 2019!” 

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. Please refollow and retweet this to your friends. Here’s to 2019!

— Nikki Haley (@NikkiHaley) January 1, 2019

Haley’s new account had 177,000 followers as of Wednesday morning. 

The State Department rules were put in place to discourage political appointees from continuing to use their social media accounts after they leave the administration for private-sector jobs or retirement, BuzzFeed reported.

Haley has been retweeting posts from followers promoting her new account and expressing sympathy that she lost her robust following.

“Yesterday, Ambassador Nikki Haley had 1,700,000 followers, earned over a decade; today, she suddenly had 0,” one user wrote in a post that Haley retweeted. “Under State Department rules changed by the outgoing Obama administration in its final months, she had to delete everything. It’s a new day: time to re-follow @NikkiHaley.”  

Yesterday, Ambassador Nikki Haley had 1,700,000 followers, earned over a decade; today, she suddenly had 0. Under State Department rules changed by the outgoing Obama administration in its final months, she had to delete everything. It’s a new day: time to re-follow @NikkiHaley. pic.twitter.com/VQSEdnkqZK

— Hillel Neuer (@HillelNeuer) January 1, 2019