On December 19, 2010, Vice President Joe Biden’s appeared on Meet the Press. Biden “likened the WikiLeaks founder, Julian Assange, to a ‘hi-tech terrorist,’ the strongest criticism yet from the Obama administration. Biden claimed that by leaking diplomatic cables Assange had put lives at risk and made it more difficult for the US to conduct its business around the world. His description of Assange shows a level of irritation that contrasts with more sanguine comments from other senior figures in the White House, who said the leak had not done serious damage.”
– Ewen MacAskill, “Julian Assange Like a Hi-Tech Terrorist, says Joe Biden,” The Guardian, Dec. 19, 2010