French President Francois Hollande
French President Francois HollandeFlash 90

During a meeting with US President Barack Obama in Washington on Thursday, French President Francois Hollande made remarks that apparently some White House officials deemed unfit for translation.

Speaking about the Brussels attack and the growing threat of nuclear terrorism, Hollande made a reference to “Islamist terrorism” in connection to ISIS violence in Syria and Iraq.

While the innocuous comment ordinarily would not raise eyebrows, especially in the context of a discussion focused on ISIS, the Obama administration has assiduously tried to avoid use of the phrase “Islamic terrorism”.

In the initial transcript of the meeting publicized in the official White House press release, Hollande’s comments were censored, with the offending phrase nowhere to be seen.

Even the official White House video of Hollande’s remarks censors the translation. As can be heard in the clip below, the translator is suddenly cut off just before the phrase “Islamist terrorism”.

A flurry of criticism forced the White House to make a quick about-face, restoring the missing words the transcript on Friday, though the video of the meeting remained censored.

White House officials insisted a “technical glitch” was to blame, the Daily Mail reported.

The alleged "glitch" can be heard around 4:45.