Mr Whittington, who suffered a minor heart attack when a shotgun pellet lodged near his heart, absolved Mr Cheney of any responsibility.

As he was discharged from hospital in Corpus Christi, he said: "We all assume certain risks in whatever we do, whatever activities we pursue. And regardless of how experienced, careful and dedicated we are, accidents do and will happen."

Mr Whittington, whose face was still bruised but who otherwise appeared healthy, said: "My family and I are deeply sorry for all that Vice-President Cheney and his family have had to go through this past week.

"We send our love and respect to them, as they deal with situations that are much more serious than what we've had to deal with this week."

He added: "We hope that he will continue to come to Texas and seek the relaxation that he deserves."

"Thankfully Harry Whittington is on the mend and doing well," Mr Cheney told the Wyoming state legislature yesterday at the start of a holiday trip to his home state.

His appearance was greeted by cheers in the Republican-dominated chamber. The vice president has already described Saturday, when the episode occurred, as one of the worst days of his life.

The White House is hoping that Mr Whittington's statement will quell the uproar over the shooting and the failure to immediately report it, which have provided fodder for American comedians.

"They were in a car, they drive along, they get out of the car, he shoots his friend in the face, then they get back in the car and they go hide for 18 hours. That's not hunting... that's an episode of The Sopranos," Jay Leno said on his nightly show this week.