Vice President Biden is doubling down on watchdog groups and others  who are saying he made misleading remarks in a speech earlier this week regarding the Romney-Ryan rescue plan for Medicare – daring reporters to “fact check me.”

Biden put down the challenge during a speech Saturday, after saying as he did during his acceptance speech Thursday at the Democratic National Convention that GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney and running mate Rep. Paul Ryan’s plan would cut benefits immediately for 30 million seniors already collecting Medicare.

“I say to the press, fact check me,” a smiling Biden said to applause at a rally in Zanesville, Ohio,
The Romney Campaign took up the challenge within hours.

“Today, Vice President Biden said that he should be fact checked, and we agree,” said Romney campaign spokeswoman Amanda Henneberg. “The vice president knowingly and deliberately leveled false and discredited attacks. This is further proof that the Obama Campaign is unable and unwilling to talk honestly or substantively about the most important issues driving the country.”

“In an attempt to distract from President Obama’s failed record, including unemployment remaining over 8 percent, labor force participation falling to three-decade lows, and our national debt passing $16 trillion, Vice President Biden is once again advancing fabricated and disproven attacks on Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan,” Henneberg added.

Biden’s comment follows Romney pollster Neil Newhouse saying in late August, “We’re not going to let our campaign be dictated by fact-checkers.”
The Romney campaign also on Saturday released a statement with fact-checks on statements Biden made relating to Romney’s tax and Medicare plans, and claims from Biden that Romney shipped jobs overseas.

Biden and President Obama made other statements in their convention speeches on such topics as unemployment and Medicare that fact-checkers said also appear to be inaccurate or at least misleading.