During the Climate Change Conference in Dubai, John Kerry, the Biden administration's climate envoy, unintentionally demonstrated that he needs to keep his own gas emissions under control.
Kerry was addressing the U.S. stance on coal power plants when he appeared to have an Eric Swalwell moment.
“There shouldn’t be any more coal-fired power plants permitted anywhere in the world,” Kerry began. “That's how you can do something for health. And the reality is that we're not doing it. So you know, the measure here is really sounding the alarm bell. I find myself getting more and more militant because I do not understand how adults who are in a position of responsibility can be avoiding responsibility for taking away those things that are killing people on a daily basis…”
At that point, Kerry paused, and the video recorded the unmistakable sounds of passing gas. Then the audience applauded, though it’s unclear whether it was applauding his words or his apparent bodily function.
But what really added to the humor of the moment (for most of us) was that Becky Anderson, managing editor of CNN Abu Dhabi, who was sitting beside Kerry, swiftly turned her head and discreetly covered her mouth. Was she trying not to laugh, or was she defending herself from an unpleasant smell that was potentially headed her way? Who knows?
On the other hand, Fatih Birol, Executive Director of the International Energy Agency, who was sitting to Kerry’s left, appeared unfazed by the sound and just kept nodding as Kerry spoke. Whether he didn’t hear it or was just better at maintaining his composure than Anderson, I can’t say. Kerry, for what it’s worth, kept talking after the release. “And — and the reality is that the climate crisis and the health crisis are one and the same."
You can watch the incident here:
BREAKING: Biden Climate Envoy John Kerry just called for the elimination of every single coal plant on earth (COP28)
— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) December 3, 2023
36% of all global electricity is powered by coal. 20% of U.S. energy is coal. pic.twitter.com/lBSGR9AmFk
Four years ago, Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) had a similar moment during a live interview on MSNBC with Chris Matthews.
“Chris, so far the evidence is uncontradicted that the president used taxpayer dollars to help him cheat—" Swalwell said before a brief pause when the apparent sound of flatulence can be heard before completing his sentence, “— an election.”
Clips of the incident, affectionately dubbed Fartgate, went viral, prompting Swalwell to respond to the accusations.
“It was not me!!!!!” he told BuzzFeed. “Ha. And I didn’t hear it when I was speaking.”
The show came to Swalwell’s defense, claiming that the sound came from a mug, not Swalwell’s gastrointestinal tract. "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!” MSNBC claimed in a post on Twitter.
Is that really what happened? Watch the video and decide for yourselves:
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
— X (Formerly Known As Numbersmuncher) (@NumbersMuncher) November 19, 2019
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