The United States will continue investigating the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said, asserting that "America is not covering up for a murder".
Speaking from the U.S. embassy in Budapest, Hungary, Pompeo said that Washington will "continue to take more action" in response to the "tragic" murder of Khashoggi, despite having missed a February 8 deadline set by Congress to determine who was responsible for the killing inside the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul in October.
"America has taken more action in response to the tragic murder of Jamal Khashoggi and will continue to take more action, continue our investigation. We are working diligently on that. The president has been very clear -- couldn't be more clear -- as we get additional information, we will continue to hold all of those responsible accountable," Pompeo said.
Khashoggi was a Washington Post columnist who wrote critically about Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. His remains have still not been found.
After denying for several weeks that Khashoggi had been killed in the Saudi Consulate, Saudi Arabia later admitted the journalist had been killed by what it called "rogue" Saudi agents, and it indicted 11 people in his death.
The New York Times reported last week that the Saudi crown prince said in 2017 that he would use "a bullet" on Khashoggi if the journalist did not return home and stop writing critically about the Saudi government.
Saudi Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Adel al-Jubeir declined to comment on the Times story last Friday, but told reporters in Washington that the crown prince did not order Khashoggi's killing.
