Republicans on Capitol Hill are privately frustrated by Adam Boehler, President Donald Trump’s special envoy for hostage affairs, over his behavior during a media blitz last weekend about his direct negotiations with Hamas and subsequent handling of the fallout. 

GOP sources told Jewish Insider the administration has pulled him off of the Hamas hostage file and said that he needs to be further sidelined.

Boehler’s appearances on “Fox News Sunday,” CNN’s “State of the Union” and several Israeli channels made headlines over his responses to questions about his direct engagements with Hamas on behalf of the U.S.; he told CNN’s Jake Tapper that Israel’s resistance to direct talks with the terror group stemmed from the possibility that he would meet Hamas officials and think “they don’t have horns growing out of their head … They’re actually pretty nice guys.” 

Boehler said that he didn’t “really care about” Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer’s concerns regarding the Hamas talks, and decided to assert without provocation that the U.S. was “not an agent of Israel.” He also mused that additional talks with Hamas could be on the cards. “You never know. Sometimes, you’re in the area and you drop by,” Boehler told CNN. He subsequently took to social media to clarify his remarks.

In the aftermath of those appearances, Boehler has had several conversations with pro-Israel Republican offices on the Hill this week to address questions and concerns about his comments. 

The conversations have been described as largely unproductive by those who spoke to JI in recent days, the result of what one senator described as Boehler’s inability to demonstrate that he understood what exactly the issue was. “It’s like he’s in Never Never Land,” one Republican, a close ally of the White House, said of Trump’s hostage envoy.

“There have been rumblings in the conference since Sunday,” a senior GOP senator who serves as a top committee chair, said of the situation.

Trump administration officials vowed to leaders in Jerusalem and pro-Israel Republicans in Washington this week that Boehler was being pulled from the Israeli hostage file, according to three sources who spoke to the White House regarding the situation. “Rightfully so, because he’s lost all trust,” one GOP senator said.

To a number of Republicans, however, that feels insufficient. While they’re not prepared to publicly call for his ouster, a growing number of GOP lawmakers have been privately saying that they do not trust him or think he should keep his role. 

“My thing is, I don’t know why we’d be interested in him doing anything going forward after what we saw,” a Senate Republican said. 

“He’s being sidelined, and that’s good, but I don’t know to what level,” another GOP lawmaker noted. “It was beyond bad, a disaster. I like Adam, but I think he needs to be parked.”

“I’m concerned about anyone who would sit down with Hamas and walk away saying they’re somehow convinced that they’re nice guys now. It is just a very odd comment to make, period,” a GOP senator who opted against reaching out to Boehler for clarification because they felt his behavior had created mistrust. 

Boehler’s nomination to be ambassador of hostage affairs also needs Senate confirmation, and it’s not clear how the growing skepticism of him among Senate Republicans will impact his confirmation process. His confirmation proceedings have not yet been scheduled. Since Boehler has not yet been confirmed, he is currently serving as U.S. envoy for hostages, a role that does not require going through the confirmation process.

The White House did not respond to JI’s request for comment on the interview or the growing frustration among Republicans.