From Politico: It seems that Sen. Bernie Sanders (Vt.) had some choice words for fellow Independent Sen. Joe Lieberman (Conn.) during yesterday’s closed-door discussion over how Democrats would punish Lieberman for his alacritous promotion of John McCain through the presidential campaign.

Lieberman had threatened to defect to the Republican Party if Democrats pulled him from his perch atop the powerful Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee. (Instead they agreed to remove him from a lesser chairmanship, that of a subcommittee beneath the Environment and Public Works Committee.)

The compromise, though, didn’t satisfy Sanders. From Politico:

Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) — one of 13 caucus members who voted against the deal — challenged Lieberman over his threat to leave the party if he lost control of the Homeland Security panel. “If you are a Democrat in your heart, why do you need your chairmanship to remain one?” Sanders asked Lieberman, according to a senator who attended the closed-door session.

No word on Lieberman’s response.