President Bush attempted to calm a political firestorm Friday over reports that a Halliburton subsidiary overcharged the U.S. government by 61 million dollars for fuel deliveries to Iraq. Bush told reporters the Pentagon was investigating the overcharge and that “If there’s an overcharge, like we think there is, we expect that money be repaid.”

Hours earlier, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld downplayed the allegations saying, “there was no overpayment to any company.” Rumsfeld said it may simply be a disagreement between Halliburton and the Defense Department — or between Halliburtion and the subsidiary, over what should be charged.