Excerpt
JIM LEHRER (Newshour): It had been widely expected the BP boss would get an earful from angry lawmakers. But he also received an unexpected apology from Republican Joe Barton of Texas.
REP. JOE BARTON, R-Texas: But I'm ashamed of what happened in the White House yesterday.
JIM LEHRER: Barton was criticizing the announcement that BP would set up a $20 billion fund to pay damage claims.
REP. JOE BARTON: I think it's a tragedy of the first proportion that a private corporation can be subject -- subjected to what I would characterize as a shakedown, in this case, a $20 billion shakedown.
JIM LEHRER: Barton is one of the largest recipients of campaign money from the oil and gas industry.
And his statement brought rebukes in the hearing and elsewhere. Vice President Joe Biden weighed in at the White House.
JOSEPH BIDEN, Vice President of the United States: There's no shakedown. It's insisting on responsible conduct and a responsible response to something they caused. And I find it outrageous to suggest that if, in fact, we insisted that BP demonstrate their preparedness to put aside billions of dollars, in this case $20 billion, to take care of the immediate needs of people who are drowning.
Humm.... Lets see, a GOP Congressman, "one of the largest recipients of campaign money from the oil and gas industry," apologizes to BP and this is creditable? I think this is typical GOP sleaze, apologizing to one of their Paymasters.
Of course Congressman Barton later wined that he was misunderstood (Boo-Hoo). Well, too bad, we did NOT misunderstand.
ALSO:
"Say What? GOPers Slam White House Over BP Gulf Spill Fund" by Eric Kleefeld, TPM 6/17/2010
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