Security official says did not hear Trump say 'shithole' in immigration meeting

Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) questions U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen during a hearing with the Senate Judiciary Committee on "Oversight of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security" on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., January 16, 2018. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts

(Note language that may offend some readers)

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen said on Tuesday that she did not hear President Donald Trump use the word "shithole" during a meeting about immigration last week at the White House.

Nielsen, testifying before the Senate Judiciary committee, said she remembered strong language and profanity being used during the meeting but did not recall how Trump described African countries.

U.S. Democratic Senator Dick Durbin, who attended the gathering, said last week that Trump used "vile, vulgar" language, including repeatedly using the word "shithole" when speaking about African countries.

(Reporting by Yeganeh Torbati; Editing by Bill Trott)