Rep. Taylor: Hillary Says She Backed bin Laden Raid, Biden Didn't

Hillary Clinton reportedly chastised Joe Biden over the U.S. raid on Osama bin Laden's compound that killed the 9/11 mastermind — saying the vice president opposed the mission while she was a fierce advocate of it.

"I know she's running for president now, because toward the end, she was asked about the Osama bin Laden raid," Republican state Rep. Tom Taylor told The Atlanta Journal Constitution about the former Secretary of State's remarks Tuesday at a convention of the National Association of Convenience Stores. The convention was closed to the public and to journalists.

"She took 25 minutes to answer. Without turning the knife too deeply, she put it to Biden," Taylor said.

Taylor said Clinton repeatedly mentioned Biden's opposition to the May 2011 raid, while painting herself and then-CIA director Leon Panetta as supporters of the mission that took down the world's most-wanted terror leader.

From 3,000 to 4,000 people at the convention packed the Thomas Murphy Ballroom in the Georgia World Congress Center to hear Clinton, the newspaper said. The bin Laden query was the last of a Q-and-A session with the audience.

"She took the rest of the time and went over, answering that question. She was ready to speak on that," Taylor said.

Clinton struck a similar theme at another recent speech before the Long Island Association, Politico reported.

Clinton was asked about bin Laden at that event as well, an attendee told Politico. "She and the CIA director were for the attack, and Biden and the secretary of defense were against the attack."

She also said wives and children who were vulnerable during the attack were moved "to a safe location so they wouldn't be hurt," suggesting media accounts had not included that fact, the attendee said.

Representatives for Biden and Clinton did not offer comment to Politico.

In Atlanta, most of Clinton's remarks related to the shutdown crisis — and about the lack of a "collegial relationship" in Congress that helped avoid legislative gridlock in years past, Taylor told the Journal-Constitution.