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\"We are saddened to hear confirmation of Mr. Khashoggi’s death, and we offer our deepest condolences to his family, fiancée, and friends,\" White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said in the statement.

\"PHOTO:
Carolyn Kaster/AP
PHOTO: President Donald Trump talks to the media about Jamal Khashoggi before boarding Air Force One on Oct. 18, 2018, in Andrews Air Force Base, Md.
>

Earlier this week, President Donald Trump cautioned against blaming Saudi Arabia for Khashoggi's disappearance but told reporters Thursday that \"it certainly looks like\" he was dead.

Saudi Arabia had denied news reports that Khashoggi was killed inside the consulate, but pressure has been building on the Saudi government more than two weeks to explain what happened to him after he entered the consulate earlier this month.

On Friday evening, Republican Senator Lindsey Graham – a key ally of President Donald Trump – posted a tweet registering his skepticism of the Saudi government’s latest account of what happened to Khashoggi.

“To say that I am skeptical of the new Saudi narrative about Mr. Khashoggi is an understatement. First we were told Mr. Khashoggi supposedly left the consulate and there was blanket denial of any Saudi involvement. Now, a fight breaks out and he’s killed in the consulate, all without knowledge of Crown Prince.”

Khashoggi had warned of renewed efforts to silence free press in the Middle East, and his final column, titled, \"What the Arab world needs most is free expression,\" was published on Wednesday.

ABC News' Rym Momtaz and Ian Pannell contributed to this report.

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