Texas Rep. Joe
Barton apologizes
to BP CEO Tony
Hayward over
White House's '$20
billion shakedown'

By Corky Siemaszko
Daily News Staff Writer

Thursday, June 17th 2010, 10:52 AM


A Texas congressman with a tin ear gave Tony
Hayward, the embattled honcho of reviled oil giant BP,
something totally unexpected on Thursday - an
apology.

Rep. Joe Barton, a Republican whose sprawling district
includes Houston, called Hayward the victim of a "$20
billion shakedown."

"I apologize," Barton told Hayward. "I'm ashamed of
what happened in the White House yesterday. I think
it's a tragedy."

Barton was referring to President Obama's faceoff with
the BP barons that ended with the oil company saying
sorry for the mammoth oil spill currently fouling the
Gulf of Mexico - and promising to finance a $20
billion fund to compensate the victims.

Hayward, who was bracing to be raked over the coals
at the Congressional hearing, appeared to be taken
aback by Barton's apology.

Rep. Ed Markey, a Massachusetts Democrat, quickly
slapped back at Barton, saying the compensation fund
was "not a slush fund, not a shakedown."

"It was the government of the United States working
to protect the most vulnerable citizens that we have in
our country right now, the residents of the Gulf," he
said.

Barton is one of Big Oil's biggest boosters. And he
has taken $1.4 million in campaign contributions from
the industry since 1989, according to the Center for
Responsive Politics.

Barton's backers have been political action committees
and employees of Anadarko Petroleum, Exxon Mobil
and Valero Energy, the watchdog group reported.

In earlier statements, Barton said he held BP
accountable for the environmental disaster but said the
committee should also be looking into the Obama
administration's response to the spill.

Barton has also opposed attempts to more tightly
regulate the oil industry.