Rep. Eric Swalwell Eric Michael SwalwellHouse to vote on resolution affirming peaceful transition of power Swalwell calls for creation of presidential crimes commission to investigate Trump when he leaves office 'This already exists': Democrats seize on potential Trump executive order on preexisting conditions MORE (D-Calif.) said he had been cleared of suspicion after MSNBC's official "Hardball" Twitter account said a loud sound resembling flatulence during his interview did not come from Swalwell, but from a "coffee mug scraping across the desk" of host Chris Matthews.

Swalwell made the comment in a tweet on Monday night.

During Monday night's "Hardball," a noise that sounded like a case of flatulence could be heard during the interview.

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"Chris, so far the evidence is uncontradicted that the president used taxpayer dollars to help him cheat an election," Swalwell told Matthews regarding impeachment proceedings of President Trump Donald John TrumpFederal prosecutor speaks out, says Barr 'has brought shame' on Justice Dept. Former Pence aide: White House staffers discussed Trump refusing to leave office Progressive group buys domain name of Trump's No. 1 Supreme Court pick MORE.

A loud flatulence sound could clearly be heard during a pause in Swalwell's answer, prompting the clip to immediately go viral.

The official "Hardball" Twitter account addressed the issue later on Monday night.

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 18, 2019

"Fartgate" trended at #1 on Twitter for several hours Monday night into Tuesday, with many media members, the president's eldest son, and activist and actress Alyssa Milano weighing in.

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Stop spoiling the fun! Eric Fartwell has brought much needed joy to Twitter in a time when the country has never been more divided. — Mark Dice (@MarkDice) November 18, 2019

Powered by #fartgate, Rep. Eric Swalwell rejoins Democratic Primary race…. https://t.co/bbQl6fAlrJ — Colby Hall (@colbyhall) November 19, 2019

I'm not saying that Swalwell was definitely the one that ripped it, but in slow motion you can see his body lift up momentarily as he takes a break from speaking just as the fart is unleashed. #fartgate pic.twitter.com/6qYw8r0fTf — Josh Jordan (@NumbersMuncher) November 18, 2019

There are two types of people in the world—



1. People who think farts are funny.



2. People who don’t think farts are funny.



It is pretty much all you need to know about a person. Which are you?



(I think they’re hilarious.)#fartgate — Alyssa Milano (@Alyssa_Milano) November 18, 2019