Nancy Guthrie Update: Attorney General Sets Record Straight on 'Friction' Between FBI & Sheriff
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche just set the record straight on the "friction" between the FBI and the Pima County Sheriff's Department as Today co-anchor Savannah Guthrie's mother, Nancy Guthrie, remains missing.
On Wednesday, May 6, Blanche spoke to NewsNation about FBI Director Kash Patel's bold claims about the PCSD, led by Sheriff Chris Nanos, more than three months after the 84-year-old was abducted in Tucson, Ariz.
"The FBI has worked closely since the day that this happened with the local law enforcement," Blanche told NewsNation. "And there have been reports of friction; I've seen those reports."
He continued, "We are here to help. And the FBI, President Trump, authorized and directed us to do everything we can to help in that investigation."
Additionally, he said the FBI offered to analyze the DNA samples, but that the PCSD decided to send them to a lab in Florida.
"We would have analyzed it within days and maybe gotten better information or more information," Patel told Fox host Sean Hannity. "Our lab's just better than any other private lab out there. And we didn't get a chance to do that, so I understand everybody's frustrations."
Related: Nancy Guthrie Update: New Video Shows Masked Man in Savannah's Mom's Neighborhood
On May 5, Patel appeared on Hang Out With Sean Hannity, during which he claimed, "For four days, we were kept out of the investigation."
The FBI director also alleged that it was his bureau that obtained the video and stills of the masked suspect on the 84-year-old's front porch. "We could have gotten that days before," Patel said. "We could have also maybe gotten more data had we been let in earlier."
Finally, Patel claimed that the FBI offered to process DNA samples from Nancy's home, but the PCSD sent them to a private lab in Florida instead.
"We would have analyzed it within days and maybe gotten better information or more information," he told Fox host Sean Hannity. "Our lab's just better than any other private lab out there. And we didn't get a chance to do that, so I understand everybody's frustrations."
The PCSD issued a direct response to Patel's comments that same day. Meanwhile, Savannah's mother remains missing, and no suspects have been named.
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This story was originally published May 6, 2026 at 7:28 PM.