Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Monday said that the U.S. is still investigating the murder of U.S.-based journalist Jamal Khashoggi, according to Reuters.
“America is not covering up for a murder,” Pompeo reportedly added during a visit to Hungary.
{mosads}Pompeo also said the U.S. would take action to hold those accountable whom they find responsible for Khashoggi’s killing, Reuters reported.
Pompeo’s comments come after Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) in a statement on Saturday accused the Trump administration of “aiding in the cover up” of Khashoggi’s slaying. Kaine’s statement came after the Trump administration on Friday missed a deadline to provide Congress with a report on Khashoggi’s death.
Khashoggi died last year while inside the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul. Saudi Arabia has acknowledged that its agents killed the journalist but has denied that the kingdom’s leaders, such as Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, were behind the killing.
U.S. intelligence agencies, meanwhile, have reportedly concluded that the crown prince ordered the killing and The New York Times reported last week that the crown prince once told a top aide he would use “a bullet” on Khashoggi.
U.S. lawmakers have also placed blame on the crown prince. The Senate passed a resolution in December saying he was “responsible” for the murder.
The Trump administration, however, has pushed back on accusations that the crown prince was behind the killing.
Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist, was a critic of the Saudi government. He was last seen entering the Saudi Consulate in October, and his remains have not yet been found.