June 17th, 2010
12:02 PM ET

White House slams lawmaker for 'shakedown' comment

The White House slammed Texas GOP Rep. Joe Barton on Thursday for apologizing to BP CEO Tony Hayward after characterizing the company's agreement to establish a $20 billion escrow fund for victims of the Gulf oil disaster as an administration "shakedown" and a "tragedy."

"What is shameful is that Joe Barton seems to have more concern for big corporations that caused this disaster than the fishermen, small business owners and communities whose lives have been devastated by the destruction," White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said in a statement.

"Congressman Barton may think that a fund to compensate these Americans is a 'tragedy,' but most Americans know that the real tragedy is what the men and women of the Gulf Coast are going through right now. Members from both parties should repudiate his comments."

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Filed under: Barack Obama • BP • Gulf Coast Oil Spill politics
soundoff (22 Responses)
  1. Mannymoto

    What I'd like to know is where is all the outrage like when The Dixie Chicks apologized in Europe for Texas having brought the Village of Crawford idiot into the world's poitical scene? Sports venues everywhere were having Dixie Chicks' album burn-ins, radio stations were boycotting their music, concert venue cancelations for the Chicks' concerts, you name it. Let's see what they'll be saying down in Texas when the tide changes from the northeast in late September/early October and the oil this tide will bring from Louisiana's waters. I say bring your own feathers as there will be plenty of tar to go around for these yahoos.

    June 22, 2010 at 3:04 pm | Report abuse |
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