Three senior figures gone in seven months. That is the count on the White House’s crypto council after Patrick Witt’s posting ended on 14 October.
A White House official told The Block by email that his detail had expired. Witt is a Defence Department employee who was lent to the council, and he had planned to leave in July for National Guard training before that was postponed.
David Sacks left in March when his 130 days as a special government employee ran out. Deputy director Harry Jung followed in July.
The timing is awkward for the legislation Witt was working on. The House passed its version of the Clarity Act more than a year ago, but the Senate bill failed an initial procedural vote in September and has not moved since.
Two disputes are holding it up. Banks and crypto firms disagree over whether stablecoins can pay rewards to holders. Democrats say the ethics language covering the President’s own crypto holdings could not be enforced, because the Justice Department, not the states, would decide whether to act against him.
Industry reaction was warm. Lindsay Fraser of the Blockchain Association said Witt never lost sight of what American leadership in the technology demanded, and Kristin Smith of the Solana Policy Institute thanked him for his work on market structure.
The White House did not answer questions about a successor, and has not said whether the council will carry on in its present form.
That is the gap to watch. A bill that still needs Democratic votes also needs someone in the building to negotiate for it, and as of now nobody has been named to do so.
