Boehler decided to withdraw nomination before holding direct talks with Hamas — US official

Adam Boehler decided to withdraw his nomination to be special presidential envoy for hostage affairs (SPEHA) several weeks ago, before his secret direct talks with Hamas were uncovered by a furious Israel that leaked them to the press, a senior US official tells The Times of Israel.

However, Boehler will continue to work on the issue on behalf of the president and in particular will continue to assist US special envoy to the Mideast Steve Witkoff’s efforts to secure the release of Israeli hostages in Gaza, a second US official tell The Times of Israel.

The decision to withdraw his nomination stemmed from his desire to hold a position with a wider mandate.

As SPEHA, Boehler would only legally be mandated to assist in efforts to secure the release of hostages and wrongfully detained Americans.

Those categories don’t include thousands of other Americans worldwide who are held abroad for other reasons or who do not fit into the legal definition of hostages or those wrongfully detained.

Those who do not fall within the SPEHA mandate include 23 Americans who have been held in Kuwait for years on drug offenses.

Given that he has not been confirmed as SPEHA, Boehler was able to play a key role in securing their release, with six of them coming home two days ago.

Involvement in such an effort would have been more legally complicated.

“President Trump’s mission of bringing ALL Americans home expands beyond the SPEHA mandate and involves coordination across government agencies,” the second US official said.

While Boehler’s appointment to the new special government employee post has not yet been announced by the Trump administration, the new role “will add, not subtract, to the work Adam is doing to bring Americans home,” the second US official said.