Republican Sen. Thom Tillis (N.C.) has issued a blunt warning against President Donald Trump’s decision to put Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff in charge of high-stakes foreign policy negotiations with Iran, Israel and Russia.
Tillis on Wednesday argued that the president’s selection of Kushner, who is his son-in-law, and Witkoff, a billionaire ally who made his fortune in real estate, “doesn’t make any sense to me.”
“Kushner and Witkoff are very accomplished business people,” he told ABC News’ Jonathan Karl at the Council on Foreign Relations. “I’m sure they’re good negotiators, but they’re not subject to Senate confirmation and they’re not subject to oversight. So hopefully they’ve got some adults in the room who are.”
He went on to note: “It is suspect that you can negotiate a Ukraine peace, an Iranian situation, a Gaza situation and whatever and be the same two people.”
Trump selected Witkoff as Special Envoy to the Middle East days after sweeping to victory in the 2024 presidential election. The appointment has drawn criticism from a number of high-profile Democrats, like Sen. Chris Murphy (Conn.) and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (Mass.), who point to Witkoff’s lack of foreign policy experience.
In November of last year, Murphy and Warren announced they were extending an ethics investigation aimed at determining whether Witkoff’s overseas business dealings represent a conflict of interest with his current role.
Tillis’ remarks come as Kushner and Witkoff are attempting to negotiate a deal with Iran to end its nuclear weapons program. On Thursday morning, the two men were seen meeting with Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi ― who is serving as an intermediary between the U.S. and Iran ― in Geneva, Switzerland.
A frequent Trump critic, Tillis is not seeking reelection at the end of his second term this fall. He drew the president’s ire last month after he and Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) called on Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to resign in the wake of Alex Pretti’s fatal shooting at the hands of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers in Minneapolis.
After Trump responded by branding Tillis and Murkowski “losers” and “terrible senators,” Tillis took the insults in stride.
“I am thrilled about that,” he quipped to CNN. “That makes me qualified to be homeland security secretary and senior adviser to the president.”
