Schiff: Trump is being 'dishonest' about Khashoggi

"I have been briefed by the CIA," Schiff said Sunday on CNN's "State of the Union." "And while I cannot discuss the contents of the briefing in any way, I can say that I think the President is being dishonest with the American people."

Schiff, who is expected to chair the House Intelligence Committee in January, said previously that House Democrats would probe the Khashoggi killing and Trump's comments around it. In a statement last Tuesday, Trump signaled he would not take action against Saudi Arabia or Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

"Our intelligence agencies continue to assess all information, but it could very well be that the Crown Prince had knowledge of this tragic event -- maybe he did and maybe he didn't!" Trump's statement read.

In his CNN interview, Schiff said Trump's own statement undermined his standing.

"The President is not being honest with the country about the murder of Jamal Khashoggi," Schiff said. "I think in part, he feels that by saying that we don't know or that the world is a dangerous place or everybody does it, he think it makes him look strong. It actually makes him look weak."

Khashoggi, a former Saudi royal insider who became a critic of the country's government, went missing October 2 after he visited the Saudi consulate in Istanbul to obtain papers for his upcoming marriage. The CIA concluded earlier this month that bin Salman personally ordered Khashoggi's killing, despite the Saudi government's denials that the de facto ruler was involved, according to a senior US official and a source familiar with the matter.