Ex-Sen. D'Amato escorted off plane for making a commotion

Former U.S. Sen. Alfonse D'Amato of New York was escorted off a plane for making a commotion after a 6-hour delay.  The incident occurred Monday night in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

A witness said that passengers were already cranky when the JetBlue crew asked people who'd paid for extra legroom to switch seats because of weight and balance issues.  The 79-year-old Republican ex-senator was in a regular seat and led a chant, "Make them move."

Video shows D'Amato saying, "They're throwing me off the plane because I complained about what they were doing."

D'Amato's spokesman says he was sleep-deprived after visiting an ailing friend.

JetBlue says passengers can be removed if there's a situation that could escalate but later issued an appology to the former senator for "overreacting".

D'Amato represented New York from 1981 to 1999.

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With the Associated Press