Trump has increasingly expressed frustration with the Saudi response. The kingdom has undertaken its own investigation, led by the crown prince. Palladino said the US had no timeline on the investigation, but that they'd like to see results "as soon as possible."

The fallout from Khashoggi's murder has damaged Saudi Arabia, badly tarnished the crown prince and raised questions about US foreign policy priorities that hinge on the kingdom's financing or cooperation. The ongoing questions have riled Trump, who has been increasingly irritated by the negative coverage, sources say, and blames the Saudis for making him look badly.

On Tuesday, Trump told reporters that Saudi authorities had staged the "worst cover-up ever" of the crime, and suggested to the Wall Street Journal that the crown prince may be responsible.

"The prince is running things over there more so at this stage," Trump said when asked about bin Salman's involvement. "He's running things and so if anybody were going to be, it would be him."

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