Social Media

Preet Bharara Is Now A Twitter Star

Twitter's latest sensation is just trying to do his job.

By Kathryn Rubino on March 23, 2016 11:35 am
Preet Bharara

Preet Bharara

If you were trying to concoct a plot to amass a large amount of Twitter followers, you might brainstorm releasing a sex tape, or getting on a reality TV show (probably both). You wouldn’t think that being the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York would lend you that social media cred.

But that is the exact path to Twitter glory that Preet Bharara is using, and all he had to do was Tweet about an indictment:

On Monday, Bharara Tweeted about his office’s indictment of Reza Zarrab, a citizen of Iran, Azerbaijan and Turkey, whose alleged money laundering scheme to circumvent sanctions against Iran landed him in the cross-hairs of the U.S. Attorney’s office. But as Newsday reports, Zarrab is an infamous figure in Turkey:

Zarrab was a key figure in a 2013 scandal in Turkey, accused of bribing members of the cabinet of then-Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan in a case that triggered a backlash from the government and, eventually, the dropping of charges.

Preet’s tweet was enough to get the Turkish Twittosphere clamoring for more. A tipster sent ATL a glowing email about the U.S. Attorney, and they played the fangirl/boy role to perfection:

[O]rdinary citizens of Turkey are going absolutely nuts for Preet.  He is now a national hero and celebrity in Turkey.  I think it would be interesting for you to write about how an ordinary (or extraordinary) prosecutor in the U.S. could become so wildly popular in a country on the other side of the world (his Twitter followers went from 8,100 to over 80,000 in a few days).  As both an attorney and a Turkish-American, I am personally very, very proud of him.

Preet’s popularity has continued to grow, now with over 173k Twitter followers — up from under 10k pre-Zarrab indictment, just a few days ago. Bloomberg Business notes the importance of Twitter for Turkish people.

“Those who couldn’t find what they hoped for here are hoping to get it over there,” said Cagdas Sirin, an economics professor at Bahcesehir University in Istanbul, as some Turks expect that allegations swept away at home will be punished in the U.S.

The explosion of interest on Twitter also reflects the platform’s growing popularity as the government steps up censorship of traditional media, Sirin said by phone on Tuesday. “In places where people’s freedom to access information decreases, Twitter usage and its social impact rises,” he said.

In the face of this social-media stardom, Bharara has kept his sense of humor. Check out this response to a new fan, who asked if Bharara wanted anything from Turkey (“Turkish raki, Shish Kebab, Lokuum, Turkish Carpet. Just ask. We are on your service.”):

Not bad for a lawyer.

U.S. Attorney Is Turkey Twitter Sensation Over Graft Probe [Bloomberg Business]
Twitter boost for Preet Bharara after indictment announcement [Newsday]