'Hate to cause a stink': FCC chairman declines to investigate alleged Swalwell flatulence

“I hate to cause a stink, but we have to decline the invitation; any @FCC investigation would abruptly run out of gas given that this alleged emission occurred on a cable news network (the relevant rules apply only to broadcast television),” Pai said Tuesday.

The flatulent noise, which sounded like a chair scraping across the floor, could be heard as Swalwell was speaking Monday evening with MSNBC host Chris Matthews. The clip quickly went viral, and many observers assumed it was Swalwell who dealt it. Donald Trump Jr., for instance, claimed it was the “most intelligible thing to come out of Swalwell in years. #fartgate.” The hashtags #fartgate and #shartgate subsequently exploded on social media.

The California congressman denied being the source, while some users speculated that Matthews was the one who broke wind.

MSNBC’s Hardball later tweeted that the noise heard by viewers was really a mug scraping across the desk in their studio. “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!” the show’s verified account tweeted Monday night.