With so much work being done via video chat, mute button issues are very real this days. Sen. Tom Carper found that out the hard way on Friday.
Carper, a Democrat from Delaware, accidentally dropped a trio of F-bombs on camera while trying to join the Senate hearing with Postmaster General Louis DeJoy. Carper was called on for his turn to question DeJoy, but there was some sort of lag. Sen. Ron Johnson, who was leading the hearing, suggested skipping over Carper because he didn’t appear to be on the call.
Just then, Carper appeared on the camera and whatever mute issues he was having weren’t a problem anymore. Carper didn’t realized that he’d come online, however, and was caught blurting, “Fuck, fuck, fuck!”
Here’s the moment on video.
Johnson sort of laughed it off, scratching his neck, while saying “We don’t want to be on TV again.” Carper, meanwhile, pressed on with his questions, seemingly unaware he just accidentally broadcast himself to the nation swearing up a storm.
DeJoy was appearing before the Senate Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs Committee to be questioned about the cuts to the Postal Service that’ve rocked the country ahead of the 2020 election that will likely have more mail-in ballots than usual because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
People online were quick to laugh at the snafu.
Senate Zoom issues: Sen. Tom Carper’s video feed doesn’t come up as it’s his turn to question. They move on to the next senator.
Carper’s feed goes live right as he says “fuck! fuck! fuck!”
— Sam Brodey (@sambrodey) August 21, 2020
Yeah uh Senator Carper is unmuted
— Ben Mayer (@bendmayer) August 21, 2020
In all fairness to Senator Carper, I too have been repeatedly yelling “fuck” for the past four years.
— Santiago Mayer (@santiagomayer_) August 21, 2020
Honestly, who could blame Carper for the outburst? Extremely relatable in 2020: The Year of Zoom.