Trump says 'it certainly looks' like Khashoggi is dead

The President said he is still waiting for the results of Saudi and Turkish investigations before offering his definitive assessment of the situation. But he indicated that Saudi Arabia will face "severe" consequences if the Kingdom is found to be involved in Khashoggi's death.

"It certainly looks that way to me, it's very sad," the President said on Thursday when asked if Khashoggi is dead.

Asked about consequences for Saudi Arabia if it is found to be involved in his killing, Trump said: "Well it'll have to be severe, I mean it's bad, bad stuff. We'll see what happens. Ok?"

Trump's comments came hours after Secretary of State Mike Pompeo returned from a diplomatic mission to Saudi Arabia and Turkey and briefed Trump on Thursday morning in the Oval Office. Both Trump and Pompeo said Thursday they were waiting on the results of both Saudi Arabia and Turkey's investigations into the matter before issuing a definitive statement about Khashoggi's death and any possible US action.

Trump said he is "waiting for the results" of those investigations, after which he pledged to make "a very strong statement."

Even as evidence has mounted that Khashoggi was killed in the Saudi consulate over the last two weeks, Trump has resisted weighing in on Khashoggi's fate, merely saying that he was "very concerned" about the situation and that he hoped the Saudi king and crown prince had no prior knowledge of the matter.

And instead of heeding calls to impose stiff consequences on Saudi Arabia and acknowledge that Khashoggi was likely killed by Saudi agents, the President has stressed the importance of the US-Saudi relationship and said he opposes rescinding a US-Saudi arms deal.

After returning from Saudi Arabia and Turkey, Pompeo urged Trump to give the Saudis a few more days to release their conclusions. The US secretary of state promised the US would assess the credibility of the Saudi investigation.

Trump so far has indicated he might be willing to accept Saudi claims that King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the kingdom's defacto ruler had no knowledge of Khashoggi's death. Last week after he spoke to the Saudi king, Trump pointed to a theory that "rogue killers" may have killed Khashoggi.