( CNN ) -- At a women 's leadership event , Vice President Joe Biden on Friday briefly praised a senator notoriously known for resigning amid sexual harassment allegations . Biden , a former senator who authored the Violence Against Women Act in 1994 , was listing women 's issues at the center of congressional fights between Republicans and Democrats . As he often does , Biden said he missed the old guard in the GOP , some of whom he said were strong backers of now Democratic priorities like raising the minimum wage and equal pay . Biden says use of term 'Shylocks ' was a poor choice . This time , he singled out former Sens . Bob Packwood of Oregon and Charles `` Mac '' Mathias of Maryland as examples . `` It was Republicans that were involved , '' Biden said at the event , hosted by the Democratic National Committee . `` Guys like Mac Mathias and Packwood and so many others . It was n't Democrats alone . Republicans were the sponsors of the raises of the minimum wage . I could go on and on . I 'm not joking : This is not your father 's Republican Party , or your mother 's Republican Party . '' Packwood , a senator for 26 years , was known for his pro-choice stance and had support from feminist groups , including Planned Parenthood . Joe Biden goes to Iowa with a bunch of nuns . But in 1995 , the Senate Ethics Committee recommended that he be expelled from Congress because of sexual and official misconduct . Ten women had accused him of sexual harassment . At the urging of even his closest colleagues , Packwood resigned . A source close to Biden , who asked not to be named , said , `` Throughout his entire career , the vice president has been a leading voice in the fight to stop violence against women . '' His speech came just days after Biden , who has n't ruled out a presidential bid in 2016 , said he regretted using what 's considered an anti-Semitic term in a separate speech . CNN 's Becky Brittain , Sara Fischer , and Dana Bash contributed to this report .
Joe Biden praises former Sen. Bob Packwood at a women 's event in Washington . Packwood resigned infamously amid allegations of sexual harassment in 1995 . Biden championed the Violence Against Women Act in 1994 . Packwood had been known for pro-choice stance and had support from feminist groups .