The Trump administration has pushed back against allegations it is trying to cover up the killing of Saudi columnist Jamal Khashoggi after it failed to send Congress a report determining who was responsible for his death.
"America is not covering up for a murder," Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told reporters at the US Embassy in Budapest on Monday.
Late last year, 22 bipartisan members of the Senate called for an investigation into Khashoggi's October 2 death and specifically whether Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was responsible.
The investigation was requested under provisions of the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act.
The act required the president to report back by February 8 to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on whether the crown prince was responsible.
In a February 8 letter to Senator Bob Menendez of New Jersey, the ranking Democrat on the committee, Pompeo said President Donald Trump had called for a prompt and open investigation into the death of Khashoggi, a columnist for The Washington Post who had been critical of the royal family.
In the letter, obtained by The Associated Press, Pompeo wrote that in multiple meetings with Saudi officials and in numerous public statements, he had "emphasised the importance of a thorough, transparent and timely investigation, including accountability for those responsible for the killing."
Pompeo also noted that the US sanctioned 17 Saudi individuals for their involvement in the killing, but the letter did not assess whether the crown prince was responsible.
"This amounts to the Trump administration aiding in the cover-up of a murder," said Senator Tim Kaine, a Democrat from Virginia.
"America should never descend to this level of moral bankruptcy. Congress will not relent in its efforts to hold Saudi Arabia accountable for this heinous crime."
"The Trump administration has blatantly turned a blind eye to this crime, and is now refusing to provide a required report about who is responsible for his murder, despite the fact that the CIA concluded that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman personally ordered Khashoggi's killing," Kaine said in a statement on Sunday.
Pompeo defended the administration's response, saying "as we get additional information, we will continue to hold all of those responsible accountable."
