This event was just tailor made for TVNewser.
Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA), a member of the House Intelligence committee, was in the midst of what seemed to have been a pretty run-of-the-mill interview on Hardball with Chris Matthews last night, when all of a sudden a loud fart noise could be heard:
OMFG SOUND ON pic.twitter.com/StziH3Yh49
— Andrew Lawrence (@ndrew_lawrence) November 19, 2019
The clip went viral last night, with millions assuming it was the California congressman who dealt it.
“It was not me!!!!!” he texted BuzzFeed Monday night. “Ha. And I didn’t hear it when I was speaking.”
The person operating Hardball’s official Twitter account went on to tweet out the popular meme of two Spidermen pointing at each other.
CNN’s S.E. Cupp decided to weigh in at length about #fartgate, asserting it was actually Matthews, not Swalwell, who committed the act.
THREAD: I hate to let the air out of these #fartgate theories, but the inimitable laws of physics clearly point to Chris as the culprit. For one, Swalwell’s mic wouldn’t likely have picked it up in the noisy liveshot location…
— S.E. Cupp (@secupp) November 19, 2019
Second, the fart conveniently manifests when it goes to a one-shot, where Chris is off camera to let it rip without anyone seeing…
— S.E. Cupp (@secupp) November 19, 2019
Finally, it was likely acoustically amplified after bouncing off the back of Matthews’ chair…
— S.E. Cupp (@secupp) November 19, 2019
Unless you’re telling me that thing bounced through the echoey Capitol building, into Rep. Swalwell’s lav mic, through control to the main audio, then that is one magic fart. There is also, of course, the possibility that there was a second farter. #fartgate #fin
— S.E. Cupp (@secupp) November 19, 2019
Cupp then said she communicated with Rep. Swalwell:
Ahem. @ericswalwell confirms to me he was wearing a lav mic. #boom https://t.co/mfVwXLWWlx
— S.E. Cupp (@secupp) November 19, 2019
I offer what may be photo proof of the missing lav mic clipped to @ericswalwell’s tie, obscured by the lower third chyron, @redsteeze and @RadioFreeTom: pic.twitter.com/ZHC8mB85Go
— S.E. Cupp (@secupp) November 19, 2019
Even comedian/actress/host Jane Lynch got into the act:
Some well reasoned analysis. 💨 https://t.co/Fi7zF6x0lH
— Jane Lynch (@janemarielynch) November 19, 2019
However, hours later, the Hardball twitter account dismissed “conspiracy theorists” by claiming the noise was actually made by a mug scraping across a table:
Sorry to disappoint the conspiracy theorists – it was the #hardball mug scraping across the desk. Get yours today and let’s get back to the news! https://t.co/SG8Owm2IBw
— Hardball (@hardball) November 19, 2019
Which prompted Rep. Swalwell to proclaim:
TOTAL EXONERATION! https://t.co/JAuTsnCjAC
— Rep. Eric Swalwell (@RepSwalwell) November 19, 2019
We’re almost surprised the president has yet to weigh in on #fartgate. Perhaps he will during today’s hearings, which Rep. Swalwell, ironically, will be participating in.