The White House has been accused of omitting a key question from the 16 July joint press conference of Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

During the exchange with journalists following the pair’s private, two-hour meeting in Helsinki, Finland, earlier this month, Reuters asked: “Did you want President Trump to win the election and did you direct any of your officials to help him do that?”

Mr Putin said he did want Mr Trump to win because "he talked about bringing the US-Russia relationship back to normal”.

Rachel Maddow, a host on cable news channel MSNBC, brought up what she called the “misleading” omission, which was first reported by The Atlantic.

“The US government is essentially following the Kremlin’s playbook,” Ms Maddow said on one of her nightly broadcasts.

She showed what she said was the unedited footage of the press conference, which viewers saw live that day.

She then contrasted it with the video the White House posted, which did not include footage of that back-and-forth between Reuters' reporter Jeff Mason and Mr Putin.

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Ms Maddow said the White House erased the portion of the video “from the official US government record of that meeting”.

The Atlantic reported the exchange is missing from the live-stream video posted by the White House as well as the typed transcript.

In the White House video the only part which can be heard and seen is Mr Mason asking if Mr Putin had directed Russian officials to help the US president to look into election interference.

Ms Maddow noted the Kremlin’s transcript of the press conference completely omitted the entirety of Mr Mason’s question.

The Atlantic report noted some “technical difficulties” with the original recording as well.

Trump in Helsinki: Putin meeting and protests Show all 16 1 /16 Trump in Helsinki: Putin meeting and protests Trump in Helsinki: Putin meeting and protests President Trump meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Helsinki Reuters Trump in Helsinki: Putin meeting and protests An advert from Finnish newspaper Helsingin Sanomat is on display in Helsinki Reuters Trump in Helsinki: Putin meeting and protests President Trump in a meeting with Finnish President Sauli Niinisto AFP/Getty Trump in Helsinki: Putin meeting and protests President Trump meets with Finnish President Sauli Niinisto in Helsinki EPA Trump in Helsinki: Putin meeting and protests President Trump talks with Finnish President Sauli Niinisto in Mantyniemi, the official residence of the Finnish President EPA Trump in Helsinki: Putin meeting and protests US, Finnish and Russian flags fly in front of the Presidential Palace in Helsinki EPA Trump in Helsinki: Putin meeting and protests A protester wears a mask featuring a portrait of Russian President Vladimir Putin during the so-called "Helsinki against Trump and Putin" demonstration on July 16, 2018, in the Finnish capital Helsinki. The US and Russian leaders opened an historic summit in Helsinki on Monday, with Donald Trump promising an "extraordinary relationship" and Vladimir Putin saying it was high time to thrash out disputes around the world. / AFP PHOTO / Jonathan NACKSTRANDJONATHAN NACKSTRAND/AFP/Getty Images JONATHAN NACKSTRAND AFP/Getty Trump in Helsinki: Putin meeting and protests Vladimir Putin gifts a football to President Trump at the press conference that followed their meeting AP Trump in Helsinki: Putin meeting and protests Trump supporters hold banners during a demonstration in Helsinki AFP/Getty Trump in Helsinki: Putin meeting and protests People protest for women's reproductive rights in Helsinki's Senate Square Reuters Trump in Helsinki: Putin meeting and protests A crowd watches the motorcade transporting President Trump through Helsinki AFP/Getty Trump in Helsinki: Putin meeting and protests Russian President Putin drives through Helsinki on his way to meet with President Trump EPA Trump in Helsinki: Putin meeting and protests A man in the audience of the joint press conference holds up a sign sign that reads "NUCLEAR WEAPON BAN TREATY". REUTERS Trump in Helsinki: Putin meeting and protests A man is removed from the joint press conference in Helsinki. Security removed the man after he pulled out a sign that read "NUCLEAR WEAPON BAN TREATY". REUTERS Trump in Helsinki: Putin meeting and protests President Trump and Russia's President Putin sit for a working lunch in Finland's Presidential Palace AFP/Getty Trump in Helsinki: Putin meeting and protests President Trump meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Helsinki Reuters

“First, the English translation of Putin’s previous response was concluding as Mason began to speak. Second, the microphone seemed to pick up Mason’s question halfway through—making the latter half of it easier to hear,” the magazine reported.

It is also slightly unclear whether Mr Putin was responding “yes, I did” to the question about whether he wanted Mr Trump to win the election or the second part of Mr Mason’s question.

The journalist told The Atlantic, however, he felt Mr Putin was saying “yes” to wanting Mr Trump to win.

The Washington Post argued, however, the White House did not deliberately omit the first part of Mr Mason’s question.

“If you watch the videos, it’s pretty clear. At some point in the middle of that question, there’s a switch between the feed from the reporters and the feed from the translator. In the White House version of the video, you can hear the question being asked very faintly under the woman who is translating saying “president,’” the newspaper reported.