US President Donald Trump has nominated John Cole to be the Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Issues, with the rank and status of an ambassador. The nomination was sent to the Senate on September 28 and will take effect only after confirmation by the upper house of Congress.
“John Cole, an exceptional lawyer and my highly successful Special Envoy to Belarus, will be my new nominee for Special Presidential Envoy with the rank of ambassador“, Trump wrote on Truth Social. According to the US President, Cole will work to return American citizens detained or held hostage abroad.
Trump said that over the past year, Cole has assisted in the return of more than 65 American citizens and citizens of allied countries from Belarus. The president added that the envoy has negotiated the release of more than 800 political prisoners from several countries in Eastern Europe. These numbers were provided by Trump and were not accompanied by further breakdowns in the nomination announcement.
Cole to replace Adam Boehler
If confirmed by the Senate, Cole will succeed Adam Boehler, who has held the position since 2025. Trump nominated Boehler as a senior adviser, saying he would continue to help on other issues. According to the president, Boehler contributed to the return of 196 hostages.
Cole's nomination comes after a series of agreements between Washington and Minsk. On September 16, Belarus released 25 prisoners after negotiations with the US envoy, and in March, another 250 people were released. In return, the US took steps to ease some of the sanctions against Belarus.
A lawyer with experience in negotiations for detained Americans
John Cole is an American lawyer. In the 1980s, he represented former American hostages in Iran and victims of major industrial accidents. He later represented Donald Trump in litigation with „Meta“, „Ex“ and „YouTube“, which began after Trump's accounts were blocked in 2021.
In 2025, Cole was appointed Trump's special envoy for Belarus. According to Reuters, he personally led the talks with the Belarusian authorities on the release of prisoners. His new appointment will depend on the procedure in the Senate, and until then Boehler will continue to perform his functions.
Sources: RBC, Reuters