The president is taunting his knowledge of details in the investigation into Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance.
Donald Trump, 79, spoke to reporters on Air Force One on Friday and said that federal law enforcement was doing “very well” in regards to the ongoing search for Nancy Guthrie, the mother of Today host Savannah Guthrie. Nancy went missing from her home in Tucson, Arizona.
The president said that the FBI and Justice Department had received strong clues about the 84-year-old grandmother’s abduction. He suggested that authorities “could have some answers coming up fairly soon.”
When asked if the search for Nancy spread nationwide, Trump said, “I’m not talking about a search, I’m talking about a solution.”
The Daily Beast reached out to the White House, the FBI, and DOJ for clarification about this “solution” and additional comment on the Guthrie case.
“We have some things I think that will maybe come out reasonably soon from DOJ or FBI or whoever that could be definitive,” Trump continued.
On Friday evening, the FBI announced that it was aware of and investigating a “new message” seemingly from those responsible for Nancy’s disappearance. Nancy was last seen at her home on Jan. 31.
“While this is one new piece of information, the FBI and the Pima County Sheriff’s Department are still asking anyone with tips to contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI,” the bureau said in a statement, offering a $50,000 reward for information about Guthrie’s whereabouts.
The FBI arrested a man on Thursday after he allegedly tried to deceive the Guthrie family into sending him ransom money through bitcoin payments. Derrick Callella, 42, was charged with two counts, including transmitting a demand for ransom and using a telecommunications device with the intent to abuse, threaten, or harass a person.
“To those imposters who are trying to take advantage and profit from this situation – we will investigate and ensure you are held accountable for your actions,” said FBI Phoenix Special Agent in Charge Heith Janke in a press release.
Nancy’s blood was found at her home following her apparent abduction. Today’s Savannah Guthrie, alongside her siblings Annie and Camron, delivered a tearful statement on Wednesday asking for the safe return of their mother.
“As a family, we are doing everything that we can,” the journalist said in an Instagram video. “We are ready to talk. However, we live in a world where voices and images are easily manipulated. We need to know, without a doubt, that she is alive and that you have her. We want to hear from you, and we are ready to listen. Please, reach out to us.”
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos previously told CNN that the Guthrie matriarch takes daily medication, so a prolonged abduction could prove fatal.
“We need her back,” Nanos said. “We need to find her, and time is very critical.”
Trump has publicly supported the search for Guthrie and said federal law enforcement was “deploying all resources” to get her home safely.
“I am directing ALL Federal Law Enforcement to be at the family’s, and Local Law Enforcement’s, complete disposal, IMMEDIATELY,” Trump said on Truth Social.
