Patrick Witt exits White House crypto role as Clarity Act stalls

Leadership overseeing digital asset regulation at the White House is shifting once again, as Patrick Witt's tenure as the administration’s top crypto adviser comes to an end.

A White House official said Witt's "detail has expired" in an email to The Block on Wednesday.

"The White House appreciates his time and service to the Trump Administration, and wish him the best of luck in the future endeavors," the official added.

The news of Witt's departure comes after reporting from Crypto In America's Eleanor Terrett that Witt is an employee of the Department of Defense and was in a temporary position in his role at the White House Crypto Council.

Witt led efforts in Washington to pass broad crypto legislation, called the Clarity Act, as the executive director for the President's Council of Advisors for Digital Assets. The House passed its version of the bill over a year ago, and Witt later worked to guide negotiations in the Senate.

However, the Senate version has multiple pitfalls, including a fight between banks and crypto on how to treat stablecoin rewards and ethics, and addressing President Donald Trump's vast crypto wealth. The latter became the major sticking point in why the bill failed an initial procedural vote last month as Democrats raised concerns that language would not be enforceable given that the Justice Department, not states, would decide whether to bring an enforcement action against the president.

Witt is the third top crypto lead to leave the White House. White House Crypto and AI Czar David Sacks left his post in March after he said his 130 days as a special government employee were up. Witt's deputy director, Harry Jung, also left in July.

Witt originally had plans to leave the White House in July, due to mandatory training for the Georgia Army National Guard, but said his training had been postponed. The White House did not answer direct questions on who would replace Witt.

"The American digital asset industry wouldn’t be where it is today without Patrick Witt, who worked at the highest levels of government to make the United States the crypto capital of the world," said Blockchain Association Chief Policy Officer Lindsay Fraser in a statement. "He never lost sight of what American leadership in this technology demanded, and when the issues got hardest, he was the one who brought every side to the table and kept them there."

Kristin Smith, president of the Solana Policy Institute, said Witt brought energy and dedication to a tough job. 

"Building consensus on crypto market structure was no small task, and his tireless efforts helped advance the debate," Smith said in a statement. "We’re grateful for his service and wish him the very best.”

Updated at 8:40 p.m. UTC to include additional comments