CNN officials say a big black 'X' that appeared over the face of Vice President Dick Cheney during a news report was a technical malfunction.

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CNN officials released a statement apologizing for the "unfortunate but very brief graphic" that flashed twice over Cheney's face as he gave a speech blasting critics of the war in Iraq, the New York Post reported Wednesday.

"It's the sort of thing that, just like your computer will glitch and will suddenly lock up and do something weird," CNN Technical Operations Chief Steve Alperin said. "Our equipment does the same thing on occasion."

Anchor Dan Kagan said the "X" was meant to cue up a CNN logo that was supposed to come on at the end of Cheney's speech, the Post said.

Cheney's office told the Post the vice president had yet to personally hear from the cable news network.