White House slams Barton comments as 'shameful'
Texas Rep. Joe Barton (R-TX)
From NBC's Domenico Montanaro and Athena Jones
The White House, in a rare move, put out a statement in response to Rep. Joe Barton's comments at the beginning of the House hearing with BP CEO Tony Hayward.
The Texas congressman, who is the ranking member of the House Energy and Commerce Committe, said he was "ashamed of what happened in the White House yesterday" -- the establishment of a $20 billion BP-funded escrow to pay for damages to businesses and others on the Gulf coast. He called it a "slush fund" and charged that it resulted from a "shakedown." He went so far as to say, "I apologize."
Here's the White House statement:
Statement by the Press Secretary on Congressman Joe Barton's Apology to BP
"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. 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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