There is so much that divides us. Science has somehow become partisan; truth itself is up for debate; America is split down the middle when it comes to deciding whether or not literally asking a foreign leader to interfere in an election is an impeachable offense.

But there is one thing we can all agree on: Farts are funny.

And on Monday night, Twitter users from every point on the political spectrum were delighted to find themselves engrossed in #fartgate.

During a live cross on MSNBC’s Hardball, where host Chris Matthews was discussing the latest impeachment hearing developments with Rep. Eric Swalwell, a Democratic congressman and briefly a presidential candidate who made so little impact on the race that I typed his name as Tim even though I’ve been watching this video of him for the last 45 minutes.

As Swalwell was mid-sentence, there was a noise.

That kind of noise is usually followed by someone saying “Excuse me” or “That was the chair” or “Nice, bro” or “Babe, did you buy the wet food again? You know what the vet said.”

Yes, it sounded very much like a fart.

The response to the above video was nearly instantaneous. Within an hour #fartgate trended #1 on Twitter, with people at first assuming it was Swalwell, but then pivoting to pointing the (pulled) finger at Matthews.

* me in an overcoat talking to a journalist in a dark parking garage * You really think it was Eric Swalwell who farted on Hardball? * hands over envelope * Connect the dots pic.twitter.com/WClqbeIiHf — Mike Drucker (@MikeDrucker) November 19, 2019

The Hardball social media team had a weird night — at first reportedly tweeting, then deleting, the perfect response:

condolences to whoever is running the Hardball Twitter account that had to delete the fart meme tweet for a SECOND time, would love to know what that phone call was like pic.twitter.com/dHA9rghbgE — Brandon Wall (@Walldo) November 19, 2019

And then offering an official explanation (and merch) that absolutely nobody was buying:

Of all the sounds on Earth, it was the least like a mug on a desk — Mike Drucker (@MikeDrucker) November 19, 2019

Whether Swalwell heard it or dealt it or neither, he barely missed a beat, but there certainly seemed to some like there was a distinct beat.

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

A journalist from BuzzFeed, who has no doubt been nominated for several Pulitzers already, slid into Swalwell’s DM to ask for comment, and was richly rewarded.

“It was not me!!!!!” Salwell wrote back. “And I didn’t hear it when I was speaking.”

The camera was off Matthews, so we don’t have his reaction — but there are those who are firmly in the Matthews camp.

It’s matthews. it’s a sitter; you can hear the upholstery. matthews waited for stalwell to start speaking, thinking he’d have an opening bc production usually mutes there. he went for the rip but production was late to the button and voila. https://t.co/v7MMZI9ips — ☕netw3rk (@netw3rk) November 19, 2019

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

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

as a guy who has reveled for years in the fact that Chris Matthews loves to blast hot clouds on live tv, i am here to clear Eric Swalwell’s name a thread https://t.co/IEpDedScFX — Aaron Burdette (@AaronBurdette) November 19, 2019

Truly, this is the Yanny/Laurel of televised flatulence.

i’ve read the convincing theories that lays responsibility on chris matthews but please explain eric swalwell’s perfectly timed and spaced pause here https://t.co/H904rAhYtu — Matt Binder (@MattBinder) November 19, 2019

And of course, there are the party poopers who insisted no cheese was cut at all:

But in a way, it matters not at all who actually dealt it, or if it was dealt at all. Because the jokes are good either way.

[clears throat] fartball with chris gas-thews — julia reinstein ? (@juliareinstein) November 19, 2019

It is as simple as this: If it’s a fart, it’s a really great fart. Fat, noisy, satisfying; it sounds like it took a bit of effort, but only enough to make the final product all the more satisfying.

The beauty of #fartgate is in the perfectly bipartisan way the internet leapt and grabbed this moment with both hands. It’s something everyone could enjoy in a week, month, year, administration, of division and sniping. It is as pure as it is puerile.

I have seen the #fartgate clip multiple times. I laugh out loud each time. It is just amazing. It’s the Moby Dick of farts. The King Kong. The Big Kahuna. It’s the Apex Predator of farts. If you think farts are beneath you, well, you are correct but you’re missing out on life. — Wajahat “Abu Khadija” Ali (@WajahatAli) November 19, 2019

I’m on set and I will not be able to say my lines cuz I can’t stop watching and reading about #fartgate. Old school Twitter is out to play tonight ????? — Melissa Fumero (@melissafumero) November 19, 2019

Watching everyone come together for #fartgate is so pure and beautiful. This is Christmas. This is Hands Across America. This is Baby Jessica. Nobody can take this away from us. ? — Molly Hodgdon (@Manglewood) November 19, 2019

Thanks to Eric Swalwell for giving politically divided families a topic to unite around at Thanksgiving #fartgate — Kyle Lomazow (@KyleLomazow) November 19, 2019

[November 18, 2029] Kid: Dad – when did our country become so united and started actually working together again? Me: Ten years ago a man named Eric Swalwell ripped a fart so amazing on TV that both parties got together to post memes, literally transcending politics. #fartgate — Josh Jordan (@NumbersMuncher) November 19, 2019

I mean, what else could get Ben Shapiro and Alyssa Milano on the same page?

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 19, 2019

it doesn’t matter if it’s a real fart. the point is that it SOUNDS like a fart and we all need a fart to believe in right now. I CHOOSE to believe the fart, and I hope you do too. — Rachel Wenitsky (@RachelWenitsky) November 19, 2019

Like the impeachment hearings themselves, we may never uncover the full truth — all we know is there is left, right, and a noisy asshole at the center of it all.