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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.
Eric Swalwell appears to drop a massive fart during live on television Turn the sound on, this is real https://t.co/DyElNSwYog— Ryan Saavedra (@Ryan Saavedra)1574125033.0
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.
A text I never thought I’d send https://t.co/t0Y4rCA14x— Addy Baird (@Addy Baird)1574126596.0
Swalwell vehemently denied that it was him.
NEWS: SWALWELL denies it was him who farted on MSNBC: https://t.co/IYmHwYfuGf— Addy Baird (@Addy Baird)1574126708.0
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.
Sorry to disappoint the conspiracy theorists - it was the #hardball mug scraping across the desk. Get yours today a… https://t.co/6wp5Au9bW3— Hardball (@Hardball)1574135949.0
Swalwell was happy to be cleared of all charges.
TOTAL EXONERATION! https://t.co/JAuTsnCjAC— Rep. Eric Swalwell (@Rep. Eric Swalwell)1574136466.0
But not everyone was buying that explanation.
@hardball Of all the sounds on Earth, it was the least like a mug on a desk— Mike Drucker (@Mike Drucker)1574138621.0
@hardball https://t.co/Jj1FSrgjLF— Lizzy Lou Who 🍂🍃 (@Lizzy Lou Who 🍂🍃)1574136868.0
@hardball https://t.co/pXJZtKTho8— Attorney@Law (@Attorney@Law)1574138008.0
And thus, both #fartgate and #shartgate were born.
Swalwell pauses and flinches at the exact moment someone lightly drags a mug across a desk instead of just picking… https://t.co/uVMqBKEoDo— Tim Pool (@Tim Pool)1574165927.0
Just a reminder: Farts are still funny 😂💨 #fartgate— Nickelodeon (@Nickelodeon)1574179754.0
#FartGate: Infrared Evidence https://t.co/CR1dRb9gAH— Wojciech Pawelczyk 🇵🇱🇺🇸 (@Wojciech Pawelczyk 🇵🇱🇺🇸)1574165547.0
#fartgate sounds more like a #shartgate IMHO https://t.co/Nxb9P09Bo4— Dr. Victoria Dooley (@Dr. Victoria Dooley)1574133733.0
I really need @RepSwalwell to admit he ripped this juicy fart. He literally paused when the cheese was cut: he also… https://t.co/Dwj5BvpwuQ— Tony Posnanski (@Tony Posnanski)1574164766.0
Not sure about #fartgate, more like #ShartGate. Someone get that man some baby wipes. https://t.co/IqkdCBgizx— Chris Wyble 🎮 (@Chris Wyble 🎮)1574150180.0
And, of course, several conservatives used it as a opportunity to zing Swalwell.
Most intelligible thing to come out of Swalwell in years. #fartgate https://t.co/LT7MXAkIRB— Donald Trump Jr. (@Donald Trump Jr.)1574130315.0
#Fartgate Sorry, @RepSwalwell - we're not buying your excuses across the pond. Own your trump.... https://t.co/M6y8g2bpsE— Piers Morgan (@Piers Morgan)1574162569.0
Leaked footage of Swalwell on MSNBC last night... https://t.co/PzT1ka1c14— Ted Cruz (@Ted Cruz)1574181688.0
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.
You know... maybe, just maybe... Eric Swalwell has united this country in a way that only a well timed fart joke co… https://t.co/CCwjMHGuHd— Ben Crazy (@Ben Crazy)1574165964.0
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.
