The White House came under fire earlier in the day when it appeared they would not meet Friday's congressional deadline on determining whether Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman ordered the killing of Khashoggi.
"We have consulted and corresponded with Congress regularly since Jamal Khashoggi’s October 2 killing. We can confirm that the Secretary provided an update today," the spokesperson said on Friday. "We will continue to consult with Congress and work to hold accountable those responsible for Jamal Khashoggi’s killing."
Earlier, when asked about making the deadline, a senior Trump administration official in a statement said: "the President maintains his discretion to decline to act on congressional committee requests when appropriate."
READ MORE: Turkish Foreign Minister Calls for UN-Led Probe Into Khashoggi Killing
In a press release on Thursday, UN Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial killings Agnes Callamard announced the findings of a probe into Khashoggi’s death. Callamard said they concluded that Saudi government officials planned and carried out the murder of the journalist and undermined Turkey’s investigation.
READ MORE: Paris Asks Riyadh to Give 'Transparent and Credible' Answer on Khashoggi Murder
On December 13, the US Senate passed a resolution that blames Salman for the murder of Khashoggi despite Riyadh’s remarks rejecting such accusations.
Saudi Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Adel al-Jubeir reaffirmed on Friday the kingdom’s position that there are no links between the murder and the crown prince.
Khashoggi went missing on October 2 after he entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. Riyadh initially denied any knowledge of the journalist's whereabouts, but later admitted that Khashoggi had been killed with a drug injection and his body had been dismembered and taken out of the consulate. The Saudi authorities have charged 11 people with Khashoggi’s murder.
