Biden Denies Likening Tea Partiers to Terrorists

Joe Biden is denying reports that he accused Tea Party Republicans of "acting like terrorists" in the fight over raising the debt ceiling. According to Politico, when Rep. Mike Doyle told a closed-door caucus meeting that "we have negotiated with terrorists" Biden agreed, saying "they have acted like terrorists." The alleged remarks drew an angry response from Republicans including Sarah Palin, who called the comparison "quite vile."

Biden—who earlier told Senate Democrats that Republicans had "guns to their heads" in trying to negotiate deals—says he never called Republicans terrorists. "I did not use the terrorism word," he told CBS. "What happened was there were some people who said they felt like they were being held hostage by terrorists. I never said that they were terrorists or weren't terrorists, I just let them vent." (More Joe Biden stories.)