Empty chair in Washington. Patrick Witt left the executive leadership of the Presidential Council for Digital Assets on Wednesday, October 14. His secondment to the White House has indeed come to an end. No successor has been named. However, he was the last face in office of Donald Trump's crypto team. The Clarity Act failed in the Senate a month earlier.
After David Sacks in March and his deputy Harry Jung in July, Witt is the third departure in seven months. The law supposed to govern the entire American crypto market therefore no longer has anyone to carry it on the executive side.
Key Points
Witt's secondment, an employee of the Ministry of Defense, expired without being renewed.
The Clarity Act failed in the Senate on September 15 by 49 votes to 50, far from the 60 required.
The White House has not announced a replacement or timetable for relaunching the text.
Patrick Witt: a Pentagon detachment that stops short
According to The Block, a White House spokesperson confirmed the end of Witt's secondment on Wednesday. He did not specify who is taking over the file. The profile of the person concerned explains the mechanics. Witt is in fact an employee of the Ministry of Defense, temporarily assigned to the presidency. His mission was therefore limited in time. He was also due to leave in July for compulsory National Guard training. This departure had been postponed to allow him to follow the vote on the Clarity Act.
He took over from Bo Hines in August 2025 as head of the council of advisors for digital assets. This body, created by decree, coordinates the administration’s crypto policy. His mandate boils down to one battle, that of the Clarity Act. He defended every compromise, including Trump’s “historic” concession on ethics rules in mid-September. The day after the failure, he spoke of a “major disappointment”. Above all, he feared that the sector's standards would now be dictated from Brussels or Beijing.
The list of departures is growing. David Sacks left his post as “czar” on March 27. He had reached the 130-day limit set for a special government employee. Harry Jung, his deputy, then followed in July. The council therefore no longer has an incumbent for any of these positions.
Clarity Act: blocked at 49 votes, and no one to renegotiate
The text passed the House of Representatives more than a year ago, by 294 votes to 134. It then won 78 Democratic votes. In the Senate, on the other hand, the procedural vote on September 15 resulted in 49 votes to 50. 60 were needed. Republican Thom Tillis voted for, then changed his vote to file a motion for reconsideration. This maneuver keeps the door ajar, but without setting a date.
Two files are still blocking. The first opposes banks and crypto players on the remuneration of stablecoins. The former refuse to allow the latter to pay a return to their clients. The second is ethics. The Democrats, led by Elizabeth Warren and Catherine Cortez Masto, are demanding safeguards before any vote. They target in particular the crypto activities of the Trump family, from World Liberty Financial to the presidential memecoin. The mid-September compromise was not enough.
The calendar also works against the text. Even adopted in the Senate, it would have to go through the House again. No one imagines this before the midterm elections on November 3. Kristin Smith, of the Solana Policy Institute, anticipated it as early as September. According to her, the SEC and the CFTC will have to fill the void with regulation. Paul Atkins, at the SEC, has already started.
Who still carries the crypto file in Washington?
Without an executive director, the presidential council no longer has a voice. Discussions with the Senate in fact went through Witt. He negotiated ethics concessions directly with Democratic offices. The baton therefore falls to Tim Scott, chairman of the Senate Banking Committee. It also goes to Cynthia Lummis, architect of the text, who accuses the Democrats of “playing political games”.
