As if the 2016 presidential election weren’t entertaining enough as it is, we can now add mystery and intrigue to the mix.

While broadcasting a press conference on Friday that featured failed Republican presidential candidate Chris Christie endorsing front-runner Donald Trump, CNN and MSNBC experienced major problems with the video feed.

Fox News did not have any issue with its feed.

CNN and MSNBC would eventually be forced to show a still photo while airing the audio.

But Politico reported that it wasn’t just a bad signal, saying a CNN source said someone tampered with the network’s cable run during the event.

“Someone cut the CNN cable between the truck and the fiber box,” the source said, adding that the network’s technical crew said “the cable was shredded.”

An MSNBC source said only that they had an “issue with the signal inside the room.”

Here are examples of the video feed during the presser:

Chris Christie #CNN are you guys using Dail-Up? pic.twitter.com/sElLoqgYHf

— London_Eye🧢 (@theRealRoeLuv) February 26, 2016

MSNBC just can’t handle the Christie endorsing Trump news pic.twitter.com/Ghs4p5K9UA

— Catherine Thompson (@KT_thomps) February 26, 2016

Re: MSNBC’s footage of Christie endorsement, why’d they film the announcement with a cell phone in Bosnia? pic.twitter.com/8O2HZVhfuZ

— Scott Whitlock (@ScottJW) February 26, 2016

In a series of posts on social media, Washington Post reporter Paul Fahri echoed the Politico report:

More: Appears someone tampered with MSNBC and CNN cable runs.
CNN cable between truck and fiber box was cut, cable shredded, I’m told.

— Paul Farhi (@farhip) February 26, 2016

Update: No real update. CNN silent on how its cable was cut at Trump-Christie event today. MSNBC citing “technical glitch,” not cable cut.

— Paul Farhi (@farhip) February 26, 2016

All of which lead to plenty of speculation from social media users about who might be behind the mystery.

Here’s a sampling of responses from Twitter:

@theRealRoeLuv I believe they’re using #TrumpUplink

— RetroVision (@FBRetroVision) February 26, 2016

Perhaps they’re using tampon earrings to intercept signal, compliments of Melissa-Harris Perry- I hear she’s in a snit over there! @ScottJW

— Carole Gilman (@CaroleGilman) February 27, 2016

.@farhip Someone couldn’t wait for 1/20/17 to circumvent the First Amendment.

— Bijan C. Bayne (@bijancbayne) February 26, 2016

@farhip @Bencjacobs Brown Shirts

— Mac Stipanovich (@MacStipanovich) February 26, 2016

@farhip @MissJupiter1957 @sentedcruz‘s former campaign manager started working for Fox News already?

— slouchyR (@SlouchyR) February 26, 2016

@farhip It was more likely a bandwidth issue with Christies’s fat butt up there, and an even bigger jealous ego.

— Conservaterry (@conservaterry) February 26, 2016

@farhip @KandiRider Was this displayed? #Gremlins pic.twitter.com/pfTy64k4e8

— Greg (@Jethro1701) February 27, 2016

@farhip I wish they had all messed up…suffering from damn Trump fatigue.

— Irish Eyes ‘r smilin (@mmoore229) February 27, 2016

@farhip The ghost of Pete Seeger.

— Norman Charles (@NormanCharles88) February 26, 2016

Now we truly have everything — the return of the Watergate burglars! https://t.co/uF4x67tqs6

— Frank Rich (@frankrichny) February 26, 2016

@frankrichny Well, we can rest assured that nobody will blame the “liberal media” for this

— Arash Shirazi (@arashshirazi) February 26, 2016

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Tom Tillison

Senior Staff Writer
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The longest-tenured writer at BizPac Review, Tom grew up in Maryland before moving to Central Florida as a young teen. It is in the Sunshine State that he honed both his passion for politics and his writing skills.

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