Trump misses Congressional deadline on Khashoggi case

The Trump administration has refused to respond to a request from Congress to provide a report determining who killed the Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

A senior administration official told US media that the president maintains his discretion to decline to act on congressional committee requests.

Khashoggi, who was a Washington Post columnist known for his critical writing on the Saudi government, was killed on October 2, 2018, after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. His body was dismembered and has not yet been found.

US intelligence officials have reportedly said such an operation would have needed the approval of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, a finding the crown prince denies.

The killing was followed by weeks of rage with Western politicians demanding that Saudi Arabia is held accountable for the murder.

Saudi officials insist he was murdered by a "rogue" team of Saudi agents not acting on the prince's orders.

An administration statement said Trump "maintains his discretion to decline to act on congressional committee requests when appropriate".

However, Democratic senators told the New York Times the president was in breach of the so-called Magnitsky Act, which requires a response within 120 days to requests from Senate committee leaders.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has written to Senate leaders describing actions taken against individuals.

The documents though did not indicate who was responsible for Khashoggi's death, as demanded by the senators.

The US has imposed sanctions on 17 Saudi officials, including Saud al-Qahtani, a former adviser to the crown prince who it alleged was "part of the planning and execution of the operation" that led to Khashoggi's murder.

But Trump has faced criticism from senators for failing to condemn the crown prince directly.