President Donald Trump offered his most stinging indictment yet of a Saudi effort to silence a dissident journalist, calling the series of events that led to Jamal Khashoggi's death "the worst cover up ever."

"The cover up was one of the worst in the history of cover ups," Trump said from the Oval Office. "It's very simple."

Later Tuesday, Trump went further, calling the episode a "total fiasco."

The rebuke of Saudi Arabia's response to the death reflected Trump's growing frustration at the diplomatic crisis, which has thrust his foreign policy objectives into a harsh spotlight. It came amid an evolving administration response, which including dispatching the CIA director to Turkey to gather more details.

The President has become increasingly irritated by the fallout from Khashoggi's death, multiple sources who have heard him voice his frustration told CNN.

On Tuesday, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the US will be revoking the visas of those who murdered the Washington Post journalist, and said that the administration has "identified at least some of the individuals responsible."

The top US diplomat said that the State Department is also working with the Treasury Department to apply human rights-related sanctions that includes the freezing of assets and a travel ban.

After Pompeo spoke, State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert announced that "21 Saudi suspects in the death of Jamal Khashoggi will have their visas revoked or be ineligible for a visa to enter the United States." Another State Department spokesperson told CNN that State wouldn't be identifying the individuals because "visa confidentiality, protected by U.S. law, prohibits us from discussing individual visa cases."

Saudi Arabian officials have said the October 2 killing, inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, was part of a rogue operation gone wrong. Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir told Fox News on Sunday that Khashoggi's death was a "tremendous mistake" and added that his government would punish those responsible for his "murder."

Trump, however, seemed less willing to accept that official explanation. He cast the situation as a lousy attempt at concealing a crime.

"Somebody really messed up," he said. "Because whoever thought of that idea, I think is in big trouble. And they should be in big trouble."

He said he was expecting to hear more from US intelligence officials during a meeting on Wednesday afternoon.

BDST: 1816 HRS, OCT 24, 2018
AP