The disappearance of “Today” show host Savannah Guthrie’s mother three weeks ago has sparked fresh criticism of FBI director after Kash Patel was seen celebrating the Team US victory against Canada in the gold medal game in the 2026 Winter Olympics on Sunday.
Nancy Guthrie, 84, was last seen at her home just outside Tucson on Jan. 31 and was reported missing the following day.
Authorities believe she was kidnapped, abducted or otherwise taken against her will. Drops of her blood were found on the front porch, but authorities haven’t publicly revealed much evidence.
Pictures of the FBI director's beer-soaked locker-room celebration in Milan were circulated online, with social media users taking jibes at Kash Patel over his agency's failure to find the whereabouts of Nancy Guthrie and alleged inaction over Epstein files.
Hollywood star Channing Tatum was also among those who targeted him on Instagram..
Meanwhile, Patel defended his celebration with the victorious US men's hockey team, saying he had been in Italy on official business and would pay his own way for personal activities.
"Yes, I love America and was extremely humbled when my friends, the newly minted Gold Medal winners on Team USA, invited me into the locker room to celebrate this historic moment," Patel wrote on social media, after videos showed him jumping up and down and chugging a beer in the locker room while the hockey team celebrated their 2-1 overtime victory over Canada on Sunday.
Patel has previously faced criticism for allegedly using the FBI jet for personal travel. Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee said Patel had misused government resources by using the FBI's Gulfstream G550 to travel to Scotland for a golf vacation, fly to Pennsylvania to watch his girlfriend sing at a wrestling match, and fly to a hunting ranch in Texas.