Lindsay Walters, a spokesperson for the RNC, confirmed to Mashable that the sentence had appeared in an earlier version of the statement erroneously posted to the committee's website.

In the final version, posted Monday, the text preceding the deleted sentence was edited to read: "A terrorist attack against any American is an assault against us all, and Saturday’s violence will only harden the commitment of our people to maintain a free, peaceful, and democratic society in which all beliefs are tolerated."

Walters said the revision was meant to be more inclusive because it invoked a common humanity and referenced all Americans instead of singling out LGBT people.