Trump says ‘too early’ to determine cartel involvement in Guthrie case – Celebrity News – Entertainment

President Donald Trump addressed the ongoing investigation into the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie, pushing back against theories about cartel involvement while clarifying why federal authorities haven’t assumed control of the case.

Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother of NBC Today host Savannah Guthrie, went missing from her Tucson, A.Z. residence on February 1. Thirteen days on, authorities have yet to publicly identify any suspects or persons of interest.

During a February 13 press briefing outside the White House, a reporter posed the question to Trump, “Do you think the cartels are at all involved in the Nancy Guthrie case or another nation-state potentially?”

In footage shared by Fox News, Trump replied, “You can’t say that yet. It’s a little bit early. Somebody either knew what they were doing very well or they were rank amateurs. Either way, it’s not a good situation.”

The president also tackled questions regarding why the Pima County Sheriff’s Department remains at the helm of the investigation rather than the FBI, reports the Irish Star.

Trump explained, “They didn’t want to let go of it, which is fine. It’s up to them. It’s really up to the communities. But ultimately, when the FBI got involved, I think, you know, progress has been made.”

Earlier that day, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt revealed FBI Director Kash Patel had confirmed to her that federal agents are deployed in Arizona and are supplying local law enforcement with the “full resources” of the federal government. Following a report from a U.S. law enforcement source who told Fox News Digital on Thursday that Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos was preventing the FBI from accessing crucial evidence in the case, the president made his remarks.

In an interview with Fox News correspondent Matt Finn on Friday, Nanos defended his department’s handling of the investigation and its collaboration with federal authorities. He stated that contrary to speculation, his office did not find a glove at Guthrie’s property.

Nanos also clarified that a private Florida lab, which his department has been working with for decades, started receiving evidence at the beginning of the investigation. According to Nanos, the FBI agreed that evidence should continue to be sent there instead of to the bureau’s national crime laboratory in Quantico, V.

A. Nanos added that he reached out to the FBI for help on the next business day after Guthrie’s disappearance and said it would be “absolutely crazy” not to utilize the partnership between the agencies.

Meanwhile, FBI Phoenix announced on Thursday that new “identifying details” about Guthrie’s potential abductor were confirmed after forensic analysis of doorbell camera footage by the FBI’s Operational Technology Division. Authorities described the suspect as a man between 5 feet, 9 inches and 5 feet, 10 inches tall, with an average build.

Officials also specified that the man seen in surveillance footage was wearing a black, 25-liter Ozark Trail Hiker Pack backpack.