White House crypto advisor Patrick Witt resigns, Clarity Act legislation stalled

According to The Block, there has been another personnel change at the White House regarding digital asset regulation, as Patrick Witt has concluded his term as the White House Chief Crypto Advisor. A White House official stated in an email to The Block on Wednesday that Witt's "detail has expired" and expressed gratitude for his work during the Trump administration, wishing him success in the future. Previously, Crypto In America reporter Eleanor Terrett reported that Witt was an employee of the Department of Defense and held a temporary position on the White House Crypto Council.

Witt, in his role as Executive Director of the President's Advisory Council on Digital Assets, led the Washington effort to push for the broad crypto legislation known as the Clarity Act. The House version of the bill was passed over a year ago, after which he was responsible for coordinating negotiations in the Senate. However, the Senate version faces multiple obstacles, including disagreements between the banking sector and the crypto industry on the treatment of stablecoin rewards, as well as how to address the conflicts of interest arising from President Trump's substantial crypto assets. The latter became a major reason why the bill failed to pass its first procedural vote last month, as Democrats were concerned that the relevant provisions would not be enforceable, since decisions on whether to take enforcement action against the president would be made by the Department of Justice rather than the states.

Witt is the third high-level crypto official to leave the White House. David Sacks, who was in charge of crypto and artificial intelligence affairs, departed in March, stating that his 130-day term as a special government employee had ended; Witt's deputy director, Harry Jung, also left in July.