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"I apologize for using the term 'shakedown' with regard to yesterday's actions at the White House in my opening statement this morning, and I retract my apology to BP. As I told my colleagues yesterday and said again this morning, BP should bear the full financial responsibility for the accident on their lease in the Gulf of Mexico. BP should fully compensate those families and businesses that have been hurt by this accident. BP and the federal government need to stop the leak, clean up the damage, and take whatever steps necessary to prevent a similar accident in the future. "I regret the impact that my statement this morning implied that BP should not pay for the consequences of their decisions and actions in this incident."
GOP's Joe Barton retracts apology to BP | D.C. Now | Los Angeles Times (http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/dcnow/2010/06/gops-barton-retracts-apology-to-bp.html - broken link)
The Republican House Study Committee (a conservative group in the house which makes up about 2/3 of House Republicans) used the same shakedown analogy to describe the $20 billion fund.
WOW you mean somebody from the GOP has balls and tuned him up???
Incensed at the gift Barton had given Democrats, Republicans came close to stripping Barton of his post as chairman-in-waiting of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. GOP leaders summoned Barton to the Capitol and demanded he apologize in specific terms. The leaders threatened to launch a process to strip Barton of his seniority on the powerful panel, a particularly painful threat to any long-term lawmaker, according to two knowledgeable Republican officials who demanded anonymity so they could speak freely about private meetings
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GOP lawmaker apologizes for apologizing to BP exec - Yahoo! News (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100617/ap_on_bi_ge/us_gulf_oil_spill_bp_s_ally - broken link)
Barton was correct....the feds have no right to TAKE money from a private company. I'm appalled that he rest of the party threw him under the bus in the Obama fashion. BP had agreed to keep the money set aside.
Barton was correct....the feds have no right to TAKE money from a private company. I'm appalled that he rest of the party threw him under the bus in the Obama fashion. BP had agreed to keep the money set aside.
The feds aren't taking anything. BP could have said, "See you in court." Are you missing the part where they AGREED to the escrow account? The same non-government people who dealt with claims after 9-11 will be in charge of overseeing that escrow account and the people who need it will get it much faster than them having to sue for claims. Plus it's said it even helps BP because they don't have to spend the next 10 years in court fighting---they know what they have to plan for money wise. They also agreed to set aside 100 million to help the laid off oil workers. Sounds like a win-win to me.
Barton was an ass and his apology didn't go far enough. He should be losing his committee seat.
Barton was correct....the feds have no right to TAKE money from a private company. I'm appalled that he rest of the party threw him under the bus in the Obama fashion. BP had agreed to keep the money set aside.
Please explain to me how they "Took" the money from a private company?
BP was under no obligation to do anything. You guys keep twisting this around but can't back it up.
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