{{Short description|American lawyer (born 1946)}} {{Use American English|date=December 2025}} {{Use mdy dates|date=December 2025}} {{Infobox officeholder | name = John Coale | image = | caption = John Coale (2025) | office = United States Special Envoy for Belarus | president = Donald Trump | status = | term_start = November 10, 2025 | term_end = | predecessor = ''Position established'' | successor = | office1 = Deputy United States Special Envoy for Ukraine | president1 = Donald Trump | status1 = | 1blankname1 = Special Envoy | 1namedata1 = Keith Kellogg | term_start1 = March 15, 2025 | term_end1 = | predecessor1 = ''Position established'' | successor1 = | birth_name = John Purcell Coale | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1946|12|21}} | birth_place = | death_date = | death_place = | party = | spouse = {{Marriage|Greta Van Susteren|1988}} | partner = Mary Sachse (1965) | children = | education = University of Baltimore (BA, JD) }} '''John Purcell Coale''' (born December 21, 1946) is an American lawyer who has served as the United States special envoy to Belarus since November 2025 and the deputy United States special envoy for Ukraine since March 2025.
==Early life and education (1946–1973)== John Purcell Coale<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1987/03/12/the-lawyer-and-the-thrill-of-disaster/eae3cfb5-a152-4cc4-9dda-0c710a50e0ed/ |title=The Lawyer and the Thrill of Disaster |date=March 11, 1987 |last=Mansfield |first=Stephanie |work=The Washington Post |access-date=December 23, 2025}}</ref> was born on December 21, 1946.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.politico.com/tipsheets/playbook/2010/12/pelosi-says-her-new-mission-is-protecting-whats-been-passed-mcconnell-talks-tough-about-next-year-momentum-builds-behind-start-cnn-defends-tea-party-partnership-annie-tomasini-joins-harvard-002957 |title=Pelosi says her new mission is protecting what’s been passed |date=December 21, 2010 |last=Allen |first=Mike |author-link=Mike Allen (journalist) |work=Politico |access-date=December 23, 2025}}</ref> Coale attended the Severn School and the University of Baltimore and its School of Law.<ref name="BaltimoreStump">{{Cite web |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-baltimore-sun-miss-stump-to-be-bride/187364222/ |title=Miss Stump to be bride |date=April 11, 1976 |work=The Baltimore Sun |access-date=December 23, 2025}}</ref> In December 1965, while attending the University of Baltimore, he was engaged to Mary Sachse.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-baltimore-sun-miss-sachse-to-be-brid/187363456/ |title=Miss Sachse To Be Bride |date=December 26, 1965 |work=The Baltimore Sun |access-date=December 23, 2025}}</ref>
==Career== ===Early work (1973–1981)=== In January 1973, Coale was assigned to the Juvenile Court in Maryland as an assistant state prosecutor. In March, he was arrested on charges of drunken driving. Coale resigned following his arrest.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-daily-times-official-faces-trial-on/187363806/ |title=Coale resigns post with Allen |date=March 20, 1973 |work=The Baltimore Sun |access-date=December 23, 2025}}</ref> In April 1976, he got engaged to Sheldon Stump;<ref name="BaltimoreStump"/> they married in June and moved to Florida.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-baltimore-sun-miss-stump-a-bride/187364368/ |title=Miss Stump a bride |date=June 20, 1976 |work=The Baltimore Sun |access-date=December 23, 2025}}</ref> In December 1979, Coale represented two Marines who were imprisoned and released from the embassy of the United States in Tehran amid the Iran hostage crisis. The Marines sued Iran and its supreme leader, Ruhollah Khomeini, claiming their civil rights were violated.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/sarasota-herald-tribune-freed-marines-su/187364601/ |title=Freed Marines Sue Iran, Khomeini |date=December 7, 1979 |work=Sarasota Herald-Tribune |publisher=United Press International |access-date=December 23, 2025}}</ref> Coale also represented former hostages who sued after the ratification of the Algiers Accords, which prevented them from seeking damages.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/fort-lauderdale-news-3-former-hostages-s/187365292/ |title=3 former hostages sue Iran |date=February 14, 1981 |work=Fort Lauderdale News |publisher=Associated Press |access-date=December 23, 2025}}</ref> A nine-member presidential commission later later determined that the former hostages should receive approximately {{USD|5500}} each, a recommendation Coale rebuffed and called "ridiculous".<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-daytona-beach-news-journal-compensat/187365478/ |title=Compensation Reactions Mixed |date=September 22, 1981 |work=The Daytona Beach News-Journal |publisher=Associated Press |access-date=December 23, 2025}}</ref>
===Political work (2008–2011)=== In September 2008, Coale endorsed John McCain for president in that year's presidential election, though he repeatedly traveled with Hillary Clinton throughout the 2008 Democratic Party presidential primaries. Coale told ''Newsweek'' that the Democratic Party was being taken over by "moveon.org types". He added that he had told Clinton's brother, Tony Rodham, not to meet with Carly Fiorina, a surrogate for McCain's campaign, believing it would embarrass the Clinton campaign; Rodham did so regardless.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.politico.com/tipsheets/playbook/2008/09/63-days-bush-reportedly-to-address-convention-by-satellite-in-prime-time-tonight-obama-bounces-nyt-and-nbc-campaign-steps-up-retroactive-palin-vetting-002104 |title=Bush reportedly to address convention by satellite in prime time tonight |date=September 2, 2008 |last=Allen |first=Mike |author-link=Mike Allen (journalist) |work=Politico |access-date=December 23, 2025}}</ref> In March 2009, ''The Washington Post''{{'}}s Chris Cillizza reported that Coale had become an advisor to Alaska governor Sarah Palin, who ran as McCain's running mate. After Coale's wife, Greta Van Susteren, conducted a series of interviews with Palin and her husband, Todd, Van Susteren refuted Cillizza's report.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.politico.com/blogs/ben-smith/2009/03/greta-defends-husbands-palin-role-016934 |title=Greta defends husband's Palin role |date=March 19, 2009 |last=Smith |first=Ben |author-link=Ben Smith (journalist) |work=Politico |access-date=December 23, 2025}}</ref> In May, ''Politico''{{'}}s Jonathan Martin reported that Coale had urged Palin in February to assist in Clinton's campaign debt.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.politico.com/story/2009/05/palin-camp-eyed-clinton-alliance-022681 |title=Palin camp eyed Clinton alliance |date=May 18, 2009 |last=Martin |first=Jonathan |author-link=Jonathan Martin (journalist) |work=Politico |access-date=December 23, 2025}}</ref> Coale established Palin's political action committee in 2009.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.politico.com/story/2011/05/confusion-on-day-2-of-palin-bus-tour-055905 |title=Confusion on Day 2 of Palin bus tour |date=May 30, 2011 |last=Barr |first=Andy |work=Politico |access-date=December 23, 2025}}</ref>
===Trump work (2021–2025)=== In December 2025, Connecticut senator Richard Blumenthal, the ranking member of the Senate Homeland Security Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, sent a letter to Coale inquiring about his invitation to a dinner for donors of Donald Trump's White House State Ballroom. Coale told Blumenthal that he was invited for securing YouTube's settlement to the Trust for the National Mall over a lawsuit involving the suspension of Trump's YouTube account following the January 6 Capitol attack.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/22/us/politics/white-house-donations-ballroom.html |title=White House Invitees Are Asked About Donations to Trump's Ballroom |date=December 22, 2025 |last=Vogel |first=Kenneth |author-link=Kenneth P. Vogel |work=The New York Times |access-date=December 23, 2025}}</ref>
===United States special envoy (2025–present)=== By March 2025, Coale had become the deputy United States special envoy for Ukraine.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.politico.com/newsletters/national-security-daily/2025/03/11/what-happened-to-keith-kellogg-00223867 |title=What happened to Keith Kellogg? |date=March 11, 2025 |last1=Gramer |first1=Robbie |last2=Lippman |first2=Daniel |last3=Bazail-Emil |first3=Eric |work=Politico |access-date=December 23, 2025}}</ref> In June, he helped secure the release of fourteen political prisoners from Belarus.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2025/07/20/belarus-prisoner-release-vodka-john-coale-00455929 |title=Vodka Toasts With the Dictator of Belarus: How Diplomacy Gets Done in Trump 2.0 |date=July 20, 2025 |last=MacKinnon |first=Amy |work=Politico Magazine |access-date=December 23, 2025}}</ref> On November 9, president Donald Trump announced that Coale would serve as the special envoy for Belarus.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.politico.com/newsletters/national-security-daily/2025/11/14/war-department-catches-on-in-washington-00652371 |title=War Department catches on in Washington |date=November 14, 2025 |last1=Cheslow |first1=Daniella |last2=Ewing |first2=Giselle |work=Politico |access-date=December 23, 2025}}</ref>
==Views== In March 2009, ''Gawker'' reported on a memorandum Coale had written advocating for a political action committee for Scientology. Coale stated that he was level Clear.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.politico.com/blogs/ben-smith/2009/03/palin-adviser-once-planned-scientology-pac-017156 |title=Palin adviser once planned scientology PAC |date=March 27, 2009 |last=Smith |first=Ben |author-link=Ben Smith (journalist) |work=Politico |access-date=December 23, 2025}}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}}
Category:1946 births Category:Living people Category:Second Trump administration personnel Category:American lawyers Category:United States special envoys Category:American Scientologists