Story highlights Nielsen was grilled by Sens. Booker and Durbin over her memories of the Trump meeting

(CNN) Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen released a blistering statement Wednesday after being criticized over her recollection of the meeting last week where President Donald Trump reportedly called African nations "shithole" countries.

In her statement Wednesday, Nielsen said she is "thoroughly disappointed" that attention keeps being given to the meeting, when "we have serious and urgent border and immigration issues to address."

"I decline to spend any more of my time responding other than to say the obvious -- I did not and will not lie under oath and say I heard something I didn't," Nielsen said in the statement.

During an oversight hearing Tuesday, Nielsen testified that she did not hear that specific word come from the President during the meeting. The White House did not initially deny that Trump had made the remark, but in subsequent days conflicting accounts emerged from participants in the meeting, and Trump tweeted that he had not used that word, but did use "tough" language.

"I did not hear that word used, no sir," Nielsen testified at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing , when asked if the President had used that word or similar language to disparage African countries in the meeting with lawmakers on immigration policy.

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