Secretary Vilsack said he had appologized to Shirley Sherrod and offered her a new position at the Agriculture Department after she was fired from her previous position at the department when a video of her surfaced in the media. The video, originally posted on a conservative website, appeared to show Ms. Sherrod making racially insensitive comments. That interpretation proved to be false after the full video became available. Secretary Vilsack took responsibility for the firing, and said there was no pressure from the White House prior to his decision.