Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) became an overnight star on Monday night.
But probably not for a reason he'd be proud of, or even willingly admit to.
During an interview about the impeachment hearings with Hardball's Chris Matthews, Swalwell appeared to unleash a massive fart, which was picked up by his microphone.
The clip quickly went viral.
What can only be described as "the fart heard 'round the world" quickly sparked debate about who was responsible.
BuzzFeed writer Addy Baird needed to clear the foul air, even going so far as to text Swalwell to ask if he was indeed the culprit.
Swalwell vehemently denied that it was him.
But he was still able to see the humor in it.
The team at Hardball was not about to take the blame, however, tweeting out a popular meme in response.
@hardball/Twitter
The tweet was deleted after a few minutes, though.
Later, Hardball offered an alternate explanation, blaming a mug for the noise.
Swalwell was happy to be cleared of all charges.
But not everyone was buying that explanation.
And thus, both #fartgate and #shartgate were born.
And, of course, several conservatives used it as a opportunity to zing Swalwell.
We may never know who the real culprit was.
But for one brief, shining moment in time, the country came together to laugh at a fart.
Need a good laugh around the house or with the relatives this holiday season? The T.J. Wisemen Remote Controlled Fart Machine No. 2 is available here.
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