Troy King to Riley: "I told you so"

Attorney General Troy King has lashed out at Gov. Bob Riley again in their ongoing dispute over whether King should have filed a lawsuit against BP and other companies alleged to be responsible for the massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

Riley has been critical of the third party claims system set up by the federal government and BP and administered by Kenneth Feinberg. Riley has said the claims process amounts to "extortion."

"Governor Riley's statement is an admission of what I have told the governor and the public for months; that BP and their multimillion dollar shill, Ken Feinberg, have intended from day one to deceive and exploit Alabamians who have been victimized in order to protect BP and their partners from accountability for their actions," King said in a statement. "If the governor wants to find the real culprit, the person who ran interference for BP, who enabled and encouraged BP and Feinberg in their exploitation and extortion, he need look no further than the nearest mirror. I said it before, and I will say it again; BP easily used Alabama's governor at the expense of Alabama's citizens. Any right thinking person can no longer question that. The only question left unanswered, is why did the governor allow it?"

King sued BP and the other companies. Riley has criticized the move and said the state should negotiate and try to secure as much money as possible, and then sue if the payouts are not sufficient.

Riley and BP officials have said the lawsuit has hindered negotiations.

King has repeatedly said BP is not negotiating in good faith.

-- posted by Sebastian Kitchen