Who Will Take Over the U.S. Crypto Agenda After the Departure of Crypto Policy Advocate from the White House?

Patrick Witt, the director of the White House Crypto Council, has left his position, creating a vacancy in a key role for crypto policy.

Written by: Jesse Hamilton

Compiled by: Chopper, Foresight News

After Donald Trump returned to the White House last year, he not only abandoned his earlier resistance to cryptocurrency but also embraced the industry by appointing a prominent crypto czar and establishing the Presidential Advisory Council on Digital Assets.

Nearly two years later, with the departure of crypto advisor Patrick Witt, who was the last person responsible for that office, this round of policy push has temporarily fallen silent. Recently, Trump appointed a new head of AI affairs, a position that previously encompassed both cryptocurrency and AI but no longer includes crypto-related work.

It remains unclear who will be responsible for cryptocurrency policy at the White House. Although some members of Congress believe there is still a chance for industry-related legislation to be enacted after the November elections, the White House retains its policy advisory team, and the Trump administration is simultaneously advancing crypto regulation work at various regulatory agencies like the SEC. However, no successor has yet been designated to take over crypto-related work within the White House.

A White House official told CoinDesk on Thursday that they acknowledged Witt's past work and wished him "all the best in the future," but did not disclose a successor. The official stated, "The Cryptocurrency Clarity Act remains a priority for the President."

Patrick Witt

The size of the White House digital asset policy team has always been small, but the advisors have previously spoken frequently, providing crucial support for the implementation of crypto policy at the administrative level. This work began just weeks before Trump’s anticipated return to the White House in 2025, when the then-presidential candidate appointed former PayPal executive David Sacks as the incoming head of AI and cryptocurrency affairs.

Trump also appointed a relatively unknown former college football player, Bo Hines, as the first director of the Digital Assets Advisory Council. This position initially had only one person, with a deputy added later. Hines quickly became the external representative for White House crypto affairs, frequently meeting with industry figures and attending various industry summits. During his approximately eight-month tenure, he secured a significant congressional achievement for the industry—the formal legislation of the GENIUS Act.

The White House held a bill signing celebration for this, with many leading figures from the crypto industry sitting in the front row. Less than two weeks later, the government released a comprehensive crypto policy agenda, outlining specific plans for the U.S. to support the development of the industry.

After pushing for legislation related to the issuance of stablecoins, Hines joined Tether, a leading stablecoin issuer, to oversee its U.S. operations. Meanwhile, his consulting firm Nxum, co-founded with his father and partner, received millions of dollars in service fees as a core service provider for a new political action committee. CoinDesk first reported that the funding for this super PAC primarily came from Tether's U.S. partner financial institution, Cantor Fitzgerald, and was led by a Tether executive.

This week, The Wall Street Journal reported that while Hines was serving in the White House and advancing the GENIUS Act, his Nxum company received consulting service fees from Tether.

Bo Hines

Hines's deputy on the council, Witt, succeeded him as executive director. Witt, also a former football player, had more extensive experience in Washington politics and became a key figure in promoting the Clarity Act at the White House. In the following months of bill negotiations, Witt did not hide his frustration, often posting on X to criticize those he believed were obstructing the progress of the Clarity Act.

During the legislative negotiations, Sacks resigned from his position as the "crypto czar" in March, after which Witt and his deputy Harry Jung jointly maintained the government's stance on crypto policy. The negotiation process was fraught with ups and downs, with Trump's own crypto business interests becoming a significant point of contention, as Democrats called for restrictions on senior government officials holding crypto assets to avoid conflicts of interest.

As negotiations continued and the elections approached, the White House proposed a compromise plan to impose unprecedented ethical constraints on the President's personal involvement in digital asset businesses, but Democrats felt that these constraints were still insufficient.

Witt revealed in July that he would soon be going to serve in the Georgia National Guard, but he remained to complete the negotiations for the Clarity Act; his deputy left to join Hines's Nxum. A month ago, this bill faced obstacles in a Senate vote and failed to advance, followed by the Senate recess until after next month's elections.

This week, news broke that Witt had left his position, and he confirmed his departure in a post on Wednesday at midnight. He thanked the regulatory officials and congressional members for their support of the Clarity Act, stating, "With the support of these regulators and legislators, I firmly believe that the future of digital asset innovation in the U.S. is bright." He indicated that he would transition to the private sector.

Crypto industry insiders say they currently do not know which White House official they should connect with in the future, as their expectations for building a regulatory framework for the crypto market have largely fallen flat.

Earlier this month, Trump re-established the position of AI regulatory head, appointing former SEC Chairman and current intelligence chief Jay Clayton to lead a super-intelligence task force, with the job description no longer including crypto-related responsibilities. While there is some overlap between AI and crypto, Clayton's past record in the crypto space is controversial: it was during his tenure at the SEC that the widely criticized approach of "enforcement over regulation" was established.

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