US State Dept Says No 'Final Conclusion' on Khashoggi Killing

The State Department on Saturday said the U.S. government has not made a final conclusion on who was involved in the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi amid media reports of a Central Intelligence Agency assessment that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ordered the killing.

"Recent reports indicating that the U.S. government has made a final conclusion are inaccurate," State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said in a statement. "There remain numerous unanswered questions with respect to the murder of Mr. Khashoggi."

Nauert said the State Department will continue to seek facts and work with other countries to hold those involved in the journalist's killing accountable "while maintaining the important strategic relationship between the United States and Saudi Arabia."

President Donald Trump called CIA Director Gina Haspel and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo from Air Force One to discuss the situation as he flew to California to view wildfire damage, press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Saturday. She provided no additional details but said the president has confidence in the CIA.

Trump told reporters before he left the White House that, when it came to the crown prince, "as of this moment we were told that he did not play a role. We're going to have to find out what they have to say."

In his remarks, the president spoke of Saudi Arabia as "a truly spectacular ally in terms of jobs and economic development."

"I have to take a lot of things into consideration" when deciding what measures to take against the kingdom, he said.

Saudi Arabia's top diplomat has said the crown prince had "absolutely" nothing to do with the killing.

Vice President Mike Pence told reporters traveling with him at a summit of Pacific Rim nations in Papua New Guinea that he could not comment on "classified information." He said Saturday "the murder of Jamal Khashoggi was an atrocity. It was also an affront to a free and independent press, and the United States is determined to hold all of those accountable who are responsible for that murder."

The United States will "follow the facts," Pence said, while trying to find a way of preserving a "strong and historic partnership" with Saudi Arabia.

Khashoggi, a Saudi who lived in the United States, was a columnist for The Washington Post and often criticized the royal family. He was killed Oct. 2 at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul. Turkish and Saudi authorities say he was killed inside the consulate by a team from the kingdom after he went there to get marriage documents.