Mike Pompeo tells Saudi officials of U.S. ‘concern’ over Jamal Khashoggi, missing journalist

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met with Saudi Arabian King Salman Tuesday over the disappearance of a Saudi journalist and thanked the king for promising a “timely” investigation.

Mr. Pompeo, who was sent to Riyadh by President Trump to quell growing tensions between the two nations, “thanked the king for his commitment to supporting a thorough, transparent, and timely investigation of Jamal Khashoggi’s disappearance,” said State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert.

The secretary of state also met with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for about 40 minutes and conferred with Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir.

Mr. Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist who is a legal resident of the U.S., hasn’t been seen publicly since he entered the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul, Turkey, on Oct. 2. Saudi officials reportedly are preparing to give a public account that Mr. Khashoggi, a critic of the kingdom, was killed during an interrogation gone wrong.

Mr. Trump spoke Monday with King Salman by phone regarding Mr. Khashoggi’s disappearance. The president speculated that “rogue killers” may have killed Mr. Khashoggi, suggesting that was a potential explanation offered by the king.

Ms. Nauert said Mr. Pompeo reiterated to the Saudi foreign minister “U.S. concern over Jamal Khashoggi’s disappearance. The secretary and the foreign minister agreed on the importance of a thorough, transparent, and timely investigation.”

Investigators are looking into “toxic material” and “painted over material” as part of the probe, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told reporters Tuesday. The Saudi Consulate in Istanbul was searched on Monday.

“Right now, as you aware, as a result of our intense contacts, the search process in the consulate has started. Yesterday there was intense process until morning and it will continue,” Mr. Erdogan said. “My hope is that we can reach conclusions that will give us a reasonable opinion as soon as possible, because the investigation is looking into many things such as toxic materials and those materials being removed by painting them over. This will depend on the conclusion that will come out from there.”