The intrigue: A senior Trump administration official claimed that the move has been planned for two weeks and was intended to shift Boehler into a different presidential envoy position with a broader mandate but no need for Senate confirmation. The big picture: Boehler has been at the center of a media and political storm since Axios revealed he had met directly with Hamas officials — making him the first U.S. official ever to do so. Although those talks were approved by Trump, they sparked anger among some Senate Republicans, some of whom took the issue up privately with the White House.
The Trump administration has withdrawn the nomination of Adam Boehler to serve as special presidential envoy for hostage affairs, the White House said on Saturday. Boehler, who has been working to secure the release of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza, will continue hostage-related work as a so-called "special government employee," a position that would not need Senate confirmation. "Adam Boehler will continue to serve President Trump as a special government employee focused on hostage negotiations," White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said in a statement.
A senior White House official indicated that Boehler opted to serve the administration as a special government employee – like DOGE chief Elon Musk – to avoid having to divest from a healthcare company he co-founded. “He still has the utmost confidence of President Trump,” the senior official added. Boehler sparked controversy earlier this month after Axios reported that he had been engaging in secret talks with Hamas officials over hostages held by the terror group. Earlier this week, Secretary of State Marco Rubio described the unprecedented move to allow Boehler to negotiate with the terror group as a “one-off situation.”
