GOP Rep. Joe Barton: The White House Is "Shaking Down" BP For Compensation

You have got to be fucking kidding me. At the congressional hearing today, Rep. Joe Barton (R-TX) actually apologized to BP CEO Tony Hayward, saying that BP was being victimized by the White House.

Barton made the remarks at a House Energy and Commerce committee hearing that is ongoing. Hayward is before the committee to testify about his company’s handling of spill. "I am ashamed of what happened at the White House yesterday," said Barton, the top Republican on the committee. "It is a tragedy in the first proportion that a private corporation can be subjected to what I would characterize as a shakedown – in this case a $20 billion shakedown."

Democrats were quick to denounce Barton's ridiculous comments.