CHICAGO (AFP) – Prosecutors described the ousted Illinois governor accused of trying to auction President Barack Obama's vacated senate seat as a greedy shakedown artist desperate for money.
Rep. Joe Barton's apology to BP and remarks that the $20 billion escrow fund was a "shakedown" received condemnation from fellow members of the Republican Party last week but 114 members of the Republican Study Committee had signed onto the "shakedown" talking point only days before.
UPDATE: Under fire from even members of his own party, Rep. Joe Barton (R-TX) retracted his apology to BP over President Barack Obama's insistence that the company set up a $20 billion escrow fund to pay damages related to the Gulf oil spill.
