Republicans on Capitol Hill are growing increasingly wary of Steve Witkoff, President Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy, over his approach to handling Hamas and his continued efforts to bolster the U.S.-Qatar relationship.

Those concerns were exacerbated over the weekend after Witkoff suggested to Tucker Carlson in an episode of Carlson’s podcast that Hamas could end up being “involved politically” in Gaza if and when the terrorist group demilitarizes. Witkoff also ruffled feathers when he spoke about Trump’s recent outreach to Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, adopting Tehran’s rhetoric about creating “a verification program” rather than using the Trump administration’s language about “dismantlement.” 

Witkoff, a real estate mogul and a close personal friend of Trump, has had past financial dealings and other relationships with Qatar, and was a target of its lobbying efforts. During the Carlson interview, both men praised the Qataris and dismissed the notion of the Gulf state being an agent of Iran. 

“It’s preposterous. Look, they’re a Muslim nation. In the past, they’ve had some views that are a little bit more radical, from an Islamist standpoint, than they are today, but it’s moderated quite a bit. There’s no doubt that they’re an ally of the United States. There’s no doubt about that,” Witkoff said.

“I don’t agree. I mean, that isn’t the only thing he said that I disagree with,” Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) told Jewish Insider on Monday when asked about Witkoff’s comments on Hamas. Cornyn, who is up for reelection this cycle, added that he took issue with Witkoff “acting like [Russian President Vladimir] Putin is somebody you can trust and how he characterizes Russia.”

Pressed on how he felt about Witkoff’s dealmaking approach to foreign policy, Cornyn replied: “I trust [Secretary of State] Marco Rubio, because I think he understands the problem. I don’t know about all these various envoys that have limited experience in dealing with other countries. They may be great businessmen, that’s fine, but this is something altogether different.”

Cornyn tweeted on Sunday in response to Witkoff’s “verification” language choice that “Iran’s nuclear program must be completely eliminated.”

Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA) also took issue with Witkoff’s suggestions about Hamas, telling JI, “No, I don’t agree with that. I think Hamas is evil. I think the only way to stop Hamas is to stop Hamas. And I think [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu, both as a moral principle and as a political principle, is going to do everything he can to annihilate them.”

Concerns about Witkoff have deepened in recent months, the result of what some GOP lawmakers and staffers described in February as Witkoff’s intransigence and dismissive attitude when discussing policy concerns. 

“I find it quite exasperating trying to work with people who think they’re smarter than me, especially when they’re not,” one senator said at the time, calling Witkoff “offensively ill-equipped” for the role he’s serving in. 

One lawmaker said they sympathized with Witkoff for being new to the foreign policy space and wanting to approach this role as a dealmaker given his career in real estate. Regardless, Witkoff needs to better understand what made the relationship between the U.S. and Qatar, a country Witkoff has done considerable lobbying for, so complicated, the lawmaker said.

“When it comes to Witkoff and his ilk, they suffer a little bit from an idealism about just how broadly popular the United States under Trump can be. There are enemies and there are frenemies, but you’ve got to know the difference,” the lawmaker said, a reference to Witkoff’s affinity for Qatar. 

Reached for comment by JI, a White House official said in a statement, provided after publication: “President Trump fully supports Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and his efforts to broker peace in the Middle East and around the world. Mr. Witkoff’s strength in negotiating with hostile actors has played a key role in bringing American hostages home like Marc Fogel and Americans held in Gaza. Witkoff will continue to advance the priorities of President Trump and has his full support.”

This story was updated 3/26/25 to include a comment from the White House.