Rep. Joe Barton Under Fire for "Apologizing" to BP

During BP CEO Tony Hayward's testimony to the House Energy and Commerce committee, Rep. Joe Barton came to the company's defense. As a result, the White House and other organs have attacked Barton's remarks:

He complained that "the attorney general of the United States, who is legitimately conducting a criminal investigation and has every right to do so to protect the interests of the American people, [is] participating in what amounts to a $20 billion slush fund that's unprecedented in our nation's history, that's got no legal standing, and which sets, I think, a terrible precedent for the future."

"I apologize," Barton added. "I do not want to live in a country where any time a citizen or a corporation does something that is legitimately wrong is subject to some sort of political pressure that is -- again, in my words, amounts to a shakedown. So I apologize."

"I'm speaking now totally for myself," he noted. "I'm not speaking for the Republican Party." House Republican Leader John Boehner (R-OH) later said he disagreed with Barton's characterization.

Not long after Barton spoke, the White House released a statement calling his comments "shameful."

Click here to read more.