WATCH: White House holds news briefing as fallout from Epstein files continues on Capitol Hill

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said her briefing started late because she and President Donald Trump were watching new surveillance footage released by the FBI in the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie.

Watch the briefing in the player above.

"The president encourages any American across the country with any knowledge of the suspect to please call the FBI, who continue to assist state and local authorities who are leading this investigation on the ground," Leavitt said. "And once again, I will reiterate that the prayers of this entire White House are with Savannah and her family at this time, and we hope this person is found soon and that her mother is brought home safely."

Leavitt said the president's reaction to the disappearance was "pure disgust." She said he would like anyone involved to be punished to the "fullest extent of the law possible."

White House won't confirm reported Trump call on Epstein

Leavitt said she did not know if the call had occurred, saying it is something that "may or may not have happened in 2006."

According to a newly released document, the police chief in Palm Beach, Florida, told the FBI that he'd gotten a call from Trump in 2006 about Jeffrey Epstein and that Trump reportedly said, "Thank goodness you're stopping him."

WATCH: White House won't confirm whether Trump called Palm Beach sheriff about Epstein

Even though she couldn't confirm the call, Leavitt said its reported contents confirmed Trump's repeated claims that he ended his relationship with Epstein decades ago, and that he himself had done nothing wrong.

"This call, if it did happen, corroborates exactly what President Trump has said from the beginning," Leavitt said.

Trump 'fully supports' commerce secretary despite Lutnick's ties to Epstein

Leavitt said Lutnick "remains a very important member of President Trump's team, and the president fully supports the secretary."

WATCH: Lutnick downplays relationship with Epstein during Senate testimony

Leavitt was questioned after Lutnick testified to Congress on Tuesday that he had met with Epstein twice after Epstein's 2008 conviction for soliciting prostitution from a child. The statement contradicted Lutnick's earlier claim that he had cut ties with the late financier after 2005.

Lutnick is the highest-profile U.S. official to face calls for his resignation from lawmakers in both political parties amid revelations of his ties to Epstein.

Leavitt doesn't rule out a Maxwell pardon

Leavitt didn't rule out whether the president would grant Ghislaine Maxwell, the jailed associate of Epstein, clemency in exchange for her testimony.

WATCH: Epstein files fallout grows as Ghislaine Maxwell pleads Fifth before Congress

"This is not something I've discussed with the president recently, because, frankly, it's not a priority," she told reporters during a White House briefing Tuesday. "He's focused on many of the issues that the American people are dealing with and providing solutions to those issues."

Maxwell's lawyer has said she would be willing to cooperate with a House probe if the president grants her clemency.

Trump to spend the week saying that fossil fuels will keep costs low

Leavitt said that Trump will hold an event Wednesday afternoon to "tout clean, beautiful coal" and lead a separate event on Thursday about ending a 2009 endangerment finding to regulate the greenhouse gases fueling climate change.

Coal has the dirtiest carbon footprint of the major fuels and is a significant source of planet-warming emissions, which scientists say are contributing to more extreme weather, including droughts, floods and wildfires.

But the administration has played down the health and financial risks of climate change while claiming that its efforts will lower energy and auto costs for the American public.

Leavitt said that the use of coal will lower electricity bills, while the EPA's removal of the finding on greenhouse gases will create average savings of $2,400 for light-duty cars.

Affordability continues to be a top concern for voters going into this November's midterm elections.

White House says Trump 'floated' the idea of naming Penn Station and Dulles airport after himself

It turns out Trump really does want one of the country's top airports and train stations named for him.

Leavitt confirmed reports from last week that Trump told Democratic Senate leader Chuck Schumer he'd be willing to unfreeze $16 billion in funding for critical infrastructure projects in Schumer's home state of New York if Schumer endorsed the idea of naming New York City's Penn Station and Dulles airport in Virginia in Trump's honor.

"It was something the president floated in his conversation with, with Chuck Schumer," Leavitt said.

The Trump administration paused funding that would have allowed for building a long-delayed railway tunnel between New York and New Jersey after blaming congressional Democrats for last fall's government shutdown.

Jimmy Lai case is important to Trump, Leavitt says

Leavitt said Trump has advocated for Jimmy Lai, a former Hong Kong publisher, "both publicly and privately." She also confirmed that the president brought up the case when meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in South Korea in October.

WATCH: Jimmy Lai sentenced to 20 years in prison by Beijing-backed court

"It is important to him," Leavitt said. "He looks forward to visiting China in April."

China has yet to confirm the state visit.

Lai, 78, was sentenced on Monday to 20 years in prison after being convicted on national security charges in a Hong Kong court, drawing condemnations from Western governments. Secretary of State Marco Rubio called the sentencing "an unjust and tragic conclusion to this case" and urged Chinese authorities to grant Lai humanitarian parole.