The latest on Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi

At a press conference Tuesday afternoon, Attorney General Jeff Sessions addressed Jamal Khashoggi's disappearance and defended the role of journalists.

"The matter’s being given serious evaluation," Sessions said when asked about the situation, although though he declined to comment on "what might be occurring."

Then, seemingly addressing both Khashoggi and journalists writ large, including those killed covering Mexican drug cartels, Sessions said the trend was “unacceptable."

"I feel strongly about it. The President feels strongly about it," he added. "We at the Department of Justice will do what we can and I think maybe give new attention to this issue.”

Attorney General Jeff Sessions, responding to a question from CNN’s Laura Jarrett on the disappearance of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi during a press conference at the Justice Department, said that "the matter is being given serious evaluation."

Sessions left open the door to potential US involvement, saying, "The FBI understands its responsibilities and I’m not able to comment on any details of what might be occurring." He would offer no additional information. He also would not comment on the credibility of the investigation.

The pressure on Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin is rising as he decides whether to still attend a high-profile investor conference in Saudi Arabia next week.

Sen. Jeff Flake, a Republican from Arizona, just tweeted, "Secretary Mnuchin should not be going to Riyadh."

On Sunday, Sen. Marco Rubio told CNN's Jake Tapper that he didn't think Mnuchin should attend.

President Trump that a final call would be made on Friday about the conference, and he opened the door to the possibility that Mnuchin may cancel.

If Mnuchin drops out, he will join a number of top bank executives, investors, and media sponsors who have withdrawn since the Khashoggi news broke.

In two tweets Tuesday afternoon, President Trump said he spoke with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and that Salman “totally denied any knowledge” of what happened with missing journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

"Just spoke with the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia who totally denied any knowledge of what took place in their Turkish Consulate," Trump wrote. "Answers will be forthcoming shortly.”

Trump had spoken with Saudi King Salman by phone on Monday. After that call, he said Salman gave a "flat denial" of responsibility. Trump also said "rogue killers" could be behind Khashoggi's disappearance.

Here are the tweets from today:

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will fly to Ankara, Turkey, on Wednesday, State Department Spokesperson Heather Nauert said.

He will hold talks with Turkish officials on the case of Jamal Khashoggi.

Pompeo had been in Saudi Arabia today, holding talks with top Saudi leaders. Sources tell CNN that the Kingdom is preparing to acknowledge that missing journalist Jamal Khashoggi was killed at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey.

Vice President Mike Pence promised to "get to the bottom" for Jamal Khashoggi's disappearance.

"It's important that the world knows the truth. If in fact Mr. Khashoggi was murdered, we need to know who was responsible. We need to hold those responsible," he said. "We're going to get to the bottom of it."

Pence, who is in Georgia today, said Khashoggi's job as a journalist adds to the importance of the case.

He added: "So, we’re gonna demand answers, the world deserves answers."

A Turkish official has told CNN that journalist Jamal Khashoggi’s body was cut into pieces after he was killed. 

This confirms earlier reporting by the New York Times. 

Watch more:

President Trump has no events on his public schedule today and has spent the morning in the White House.

He’s making a round of calls, some of which are focused on Saudi Arabia diplomatic crisis, but he’s also watching considerable TV — as part of his usual routine, a White House official said, which explains the buffet of tweet topics this morning.

The particularly vulgar tweet about Stormy Daniels — not to mention Elizabeth Warren or Nellie Ohr — certainly seem intended to try and change the subject from Saudi Arabia.    

The President has told people in conversations this morning that he is aggravated at the coverage of Saudi Arabia crisis, and senior White House officials have tried to impress upon him how serious this matter is.    

Asked directly whether he was trying to change the subject of cable TV coverage today, the official said this:

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said the residence and car of the Istanbul Consul General of Saudi Arabia "will be investigated" on Tuesday as part of the investigation into missing journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

It comes as Turkey’s Anadolu Agency reported that the Consul General Mohammed Otaibi has left Turkey.

Speaking at a news conference in Ankara, Cavusoglu said:

Speaking of the investigation into Khashoggi’s disappearance, Cavusoglu said, "It is very important that this process will continue with no obstacles.

It is also important to continue cooperation with Saudi Arabia and transparency of the process is extremely critical so that there will not be any question marks remaining about the investigation."