Both MSNBC and the Congressman have denied the fart, and given another explanation.
Whoever denied it supplied it? MSNBC's Hardball With Chris Matthews got a bit awkward on Monday when democratic Representative Eric Swalwell came on for an interview surrounding President Donald Trump's impeachment hearings.
As Swalwell was talking, he briefly paused and moved forward right as a loud noise, which many online immediately attributed to a fart, blasted out over the airwaves.
The moment sparked #FartGate, which not only got people talking online, it also started several fan accounts including @Eric_Fartwell, which labeled itself "Eric Swalwell's Fart."
"Eric might be the whistleblower, why not? He leaked me. #fartgate," one tweet reads.
The live TV moment prompted a slew of denials, both from Swalwell and MSNBC. When asked by BuzzFeed News reporter Addy Baird about the alleged fart via text, Swalwell insisted, "It was not me!!!!! Ha. And I didn't hear it when I was speaking."
Swalwell also made light of the moment on Twitter, writing: "This, too, shall pass...
MSNBC also tweeted an explanation. "Sorry to disappoint the conspiracy theorists - it was the #hardball mug scraping across the desk," the tweet read along with a link to a coffee mug. "Get yours today and let’s get back to the news!"
Swalwell responded to the message: "TOTAL EXONERATION!"
Chrissy Teigen, however, was not so thrilled about MSNBC's explanation, tweeting: "No, it's a fart. Don't ruin this."
This wouldn't be the first awkward moment caught on camera. Check out Khloe and Kourtney Kardashian's uncomfortable silence at the 2019 People's Choice Awards:
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