Politics

A Timeline: Congressman Joe Barton ? Not So Sorry After All?

By Office of the Speaker

Last week, Congressman Joe Barton (R-TX)?Ranking Republican on the House Energy and Commerce Committee?outraged America when he apologized to BP through its CEO Tony Hayward after President Obama got the company to set aside $20 billion in a disaster compensation fund for Gulf Coast residents and businesses and to protect taxpayers.

Since then, Congressional Republicans have tirelessly tried to convince America that Barton didn?t mean what he said. Barton even apologized to his fellow Republicans for apologizing to BP.

But this morning, Congressman Barton tweeted “Joe Barton Was Right”?linking to an American Spectator piece. Apparently, he isn?t really so sorry after all. Except to BP.

A timeline of Rep. Barton?s BP Apology:
June 17, 10:10 am [to BP CEO Tony Hayward]:

I am ashamed of what happened at the White House yesterday. I think it is a tragedy of 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?I apologize.

June 17, 3:15 pm:

“I want the record to be absolutely clear that I think BP is responsible for this accident,” he said. “If anything I said this morning has been misconstrued, in opposite effect, I want to apologize for that misconstruction.”

June 17, 4:30 pm [written statement forwarded from House Republican Leader John Boehner?s office]:

“I apologize for using the term ’shakedown’ with regard to yesterday’s actions at the White House this morning, and I retract my apology to BP,” it began, and finished: “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.”

June 23, 9:30 am:

Joe Barton apologizes to the House Republican Conference

June 23, 11:22 am [via Twitter]:

RepJoeBarton - Joe Barton was Right.

June 23, 12:30 pm:

Joe Barton deletes ?Joe Barton was Right? tweet.

Full post as published by The Gavel on June 23, 2010 (boomark / email).