WorldSecretary of State Pompeo on Jamal Khashoggi: 'America is not covering up for a murder.'

© Provided by USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Satellite Information Network, Inc. In this photo taken Dec. 15, 2014, Jamal Khashoggi looks on during a press conference in the Bahraini capital of Manama.

WASHINGTON – Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Monday sharply rejected an assertion that the Trump administration is complicit in a cover-up of the murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Pompeo's remarks came after Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., accused the administration of turning a "blind eye" to evidence that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman personally ordered Khashoggi’s killing.

Erdogan says cannot understand US 'silence' over Khashoggi murder

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday accused the United States of maintaining a "silence" on the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. "I cannot understand America's silence... We want everything to be clarified because there is an atrocity, there is a murder," Erdogan told a televised interview. "The Khashoggi murder is not an ordinary one.

Mr. Trump dispatched Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to Riyadh on Monday to meet with King Salman. It was not clear when he might be replaced, or by whom. Prince Khalid is the crown prince’s younger brother. The Saudi Embassy in Washington also canceled its National Day party, which was

Jamal Khashoggi as “the worst cover - up ever,” and his administration warned for the first time that it would Mr. Trump’s criticism, and the sanctions announced by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo “These penalties will not be the last word on the matter from the United States ,” Mr. Pompeo said to

"This amounts to the Trump Administration aiding in the cover up of a murder," Kaine, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said in a statement on Sunday. "America should never descend to this level of moral bankruptcy."

The White House last week refused to comply with a congressional mandate that required the administration to determine whether the crown prince was responsible for Khashoggi's murder. The White House told senators on the Foreign Relations Committee last week that it would not make the determination – infuriating lawmakers who had triggered the requirement.

Kaine was not the only Democrat to allege a cover-up in Khashoggi's death.

"The Magnitsky Act that requires a president to report back to Congress within 120 days is not a ‘request.’  It is a legal mandate," said Sen. Patrick Leahy, a Vermont Democrat and also a member of the Foreign Relations panel.

Turkey says Saudi lack of transparency on Khashoggi concerning, detrimental to credibility

The "complete lack of transparency" from Saudi officials on the investigation into the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi is deeply concerning and detrimental to their credibility, an aide to Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said. Fahrettin Altun, Erdogan's communications director, told Reuters that Saudi authorities must extradite Khashoggi's killers as proof of their willingness to serve justice. He said Turkey's findings on the case were in line with those of the United Nations special rapporteur's inquiry, adding that Ankara was committed to cooperating in a U.N. inquiry into the case.

there was Secretary of State Mike Pompeo amiably clutching the hand of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in an ornate meeting room Instead, this source explained, a typical president would stress the seriousness of the situation, praise Khashoggi and the free press, call for an

Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo misled senators last week in a Senate-only briefing on the murder of Saudi dissident Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), argued Wednesday that a “smoking gun” is not required to find the crown prince responsible for Khashoggi ’s death and that

"If the president ignores the clear mandate of the Magnitsky Act in a case involving premeditated murder perpetrated by officials of a foreign government, the White House will share the blame for attempting to cover up the crime," Leahy said.

Asked about those remarks on Monday, Pompeo said they were "dead wrong."

"Sen. Kaine is just dead wrong," Pompeo told reporters traveling with him in Budapest. "America is not covering up for a murder."

He said the U.S. has taken "more action in response to the tragic murder of Jamal Khashoggi and will continue to take more action, continue our investigation," Pompoe said. "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."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Secretary of State Pompeo on Jamal Khashoggi: 'America is not covering up for a murder.'