Something amazing happened on Monday night. And it’s not your usual run-of-the-mill political news. During an interview with MSNBC’s Chris Matthews, Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) appeared to rip a massive fart live on the air.
BuzzFeed, the leftist website, conducted an immediate investigation into who passed gas on MSNBC. The outlet’s Addy Baird noticed Swalwell’s pause and smirk, too, writing: “The Democrat, who sits on the House Intelligence Committee, appeared to react to the fart with a brief pause, while attempting not to smile.”
Baird then writes that the clip went viral online, causing Swalwell to deny it on the record to BuzzFeed:
A text I never thought I’d send pic.twitter.com/t0Y4rCA14x
— Addy Baird (@addysue) November 19, 2019
NEWS: SWALWELL denies it was him who farted on MSNBC: pic.twitter.com/IYmHwYfuGf
— Addy Baird (@addysue) November 19, 2019
Good to see a member of Congress just speaking the truth without partisan spin: pic.twitter.com/eSnRbnt92G
— Addy Baird (@addysue) November 19, 2019
But people were determined to get to the bottom of what really took place.
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
Unless you’re telling me that thing bounced through the echoey Capitol building, into 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
So much so that gifs were created to slow down the moment in time the fart was delt.
I’ve isolated and slowed the moment of the fart. You can clearly see Swalwell brace forward, tense up for a moment, and then relax. He dealt it. pic.twitter.com/Nzo93RoNfR
— Stephen Miller (@redsteeze) November 19, 2019
Donald Trump Jr. took a swipe at Swalwell, saying the fart was the “most intelligible thing to come out of Swalwell in years.” He then dubbed the moment Fartgate (which is now a Twitter hashtag).
Most intelligible thing to come out of Swalwell in years. #fartgate https://t.co/LT7MXAkIRB
— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) November 19, 2019
Ben Shapiro had a blast with puns:
He who denied it supplied it #fartgate
— Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) November 19, 2019
Duke Nuked ‘Em #fartgate
— Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) November 19, 2019
This is how liberty dies. With thunderous farts. #fartgate
— Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) November 19, 2019
Swallwell is the whistleblower #fartgate
— Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) November 19, 2019
Trump is going to tweet about Eric Fartwell and win all 50 states #fartgate
— Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) November 19, 2019
Some others had fun with the moment too:
I actually give credit to @ericswalwell vis-a-vis #fartgate. He said he would nuke law-abiding citizens and he definitely dropped a bomb.
— Jacob Airey (@realJacobAirey) November 19, 2019
I seriously hope someone at MSNBC offered Swalwell some baby wipes. You know there’s a high probability that was a shart #fartgate
— Beth Baumann (@eb454) November 19, 2019
I seriously hope someone at MSNBC offered Swalwell some baby wipes. You know there’s a high probability that was a shart #fartgate
— Beth Baumann (@eb454) November 19, 2019
But the show’s official Twitter feed later tweeted this out, after removing a now-deleted Spiderman v. Spiderman meme:
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
But no one is buying it (and I’m not talking about the mug, though no one is buying that either.
We always knew Swalwell was full of shit… #fartgate https://t.co/XieSJVlsyv
— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) November 19, 2019
.@hardball @HardballChris @ericswalwell:
Your credibility has been called into question over #FartGate. Unless your coffee mugs are made of rubber, they do not make fart noises. We believe one of you cut the cheese. pic.twitter.com/t60xK4ow5j
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) November 19, 2019
On the contrary:
#Fartgate
Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, please accept into evidence Exhibit A. pic.twitter.com/e8MHVk0zIF— Dmitri Mendeleev (@PeriodicWeather) November 19, 2019
I think @ericswalwell and @hardball may actually be right about the mug. I tested this myself. You be the judge. #FartGate pic.twitter.com/UcGSOVrcXN
— Matt Johnson (@rightcheer) November 19, 2019
Eric Swalwell’s #Fartgate scandal is bigger than Uranus pic.twitter.com/DjAZbpVOod
— Darrin McBreen (@MediaRival) November 19, 2019
You know… maybe, just maybe… Eric Swalwell has united this country in a way that only a well timed fart joke could. #Fartgate https://t.co/JkTgeoavMN
— Ben Crazy (@ben_crazy76) November 19, 2019
Pluto was demoted as a planet, but Eric Swalwell is now secure among the gas giants. #FartGate pic.twitter.com/q3wHNe4dEe
— Ron Franklin (@RonaldBFranklin) November 19, 2019
Scientifically Advanced Extra-Terrestrials, please save Humanity.#FartGate on British Television…pic.twitter.com/vmX9AovgEO
— Darren Williams (@DazAltTheory) November 19, 2019
I’m glad America can unite over flatulence. #fartgate #makefartsgreatagain pic.twitter.com/I38gn6sJpd
— Rob Holcombe (@RobHolcombe1) November 19, 2019
From this day on @RepSwalwell is known as Fartacus! #FartGate pic.twitter.com/jrGrru4hAb
— Cap (@MajSmartass) November 19, 2019
BREAKING: Photo of Eric Swalwell after the MSNBC interview surfaces. #FartGate pic.twitter.com/oHYpOuGKYb
— Saladino for Congress (@JoeySalads) November 19, 2019
A Presidential candidate we can all get behind…ok maybe not behind.#fartgate pic.twitter.com/tFQNClAnDa
— Righteous Discontent (@righteousdisco) November 19, 2019
Eric Swalwell #Fartgate pic.twitter.com/Px3bjlSQEp
— Jeremy Bell (@thejeremybell) November 19, 2019
Creepy Joe Biden goes in for a Swalwell sniff. #FartGate pic.twitter.com/JlDLdtN0J1
— Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) November 19, 2019
I still remember where I was when Swalwell farted
— Chuck Ross (@ChuckRossDC) November 19, 2019
Thanks to Sources:
