US must give response to Khashoggi killing: Trump ally

U.S.'s Senate majority leader on Tuesday said "some kind of response" should be given for the role of Saudis in the "abhorrent" killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Seen as a top ally for the U.S. President Donald Trump in Congress, Mitch McConnell told reporters: "What obviously happened, as basically certified by the CIA, is completely abhorrent to everything the United States holds dear and stands for."

"We're discussing what the appropriate response would be," he added.

Khashoggi, a Saudi journalist, and columnist for The Washington Post, went missing after entering the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2.

After initially saying he had left the consulate alive, Saudi Arabia admitted weeks later that he was killed there.

Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is under fire for his alleged role in the murder.

"No one believes we should completely and totally fracture our relationship with the Saudis," said McConnell.

"But, yes, some kind of response is going to be appropriate and we're going to continue to talk about that," he added.