Patrick Witt, the executive director of the White House council of advisers on digital assets, is stepping down from his post, marking the second departure of a senior crypto policy aide in the Trump administration.
Witt announced his exit late Wednesday on the social platform X, calling his tenure "the privilege of a lifetime" and signaling a move to the private sector. "I'm grateful to have done my part to unleash American innovation while in government, and I look forward to advancing that same mission in the private sector!" he wrote.
A White House official confirmed that Witt's detail had expired, adding that digital asset policy and the Clarity Act "will continue to be a priority for the President." The official did not name a successor.
Witt, who previously served on Trump's transition team and held key roles at the Pentagon, took over the crypto advisory role after his predecessor, Bo Hines, left the administration last August shortly after the GENIUS Act was signed into law. That legislation established a regulatory framework for stablecoins—digital tokens pegged to stable assets like the U.S. dollar—and was viewed as an early win for the industry.
But the GENIUS Act addressed only a narrow slice of the broader crypto market. Witt led the push for the more comprehensive Clarity Act, which would have set rules for the wider digital asset space. That legislation fell short in a key Senate floor vote last month.
Despite the legislative setback, Trump-appointed regulators have moved forward on their own. The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) have both advanced crypto-specific rulemaking, a sign that the administration intends to keep pressing on digital asset policy even without a new law.
In his farewell post, Witt thanked SEC Chair Paul Atkins and CFTC Chair Michael Selig, among others, expressing confidence in the future of U.S. crypto innovation. "With regulators and elected officials like you, I rest easy knowing the future of digital asset innovation in America is bright," he added.
Witt's departure comes amid broader personnel shifts in the administration. President Trump recently publicly backed his chief of staff after reports of internal tensions, and the administration has faced scrutiny over other high-profile exits.
The crypto industry is watching closely to see who will fill Witt's shoes and whether the Clarity Act will be revived. Meanwhile, legal battles over Trump administration policies continue, including a recent court ruling that extended a halt on taxpayer-funded ads.
For now, the White House insists that digital asset policy remains a priority, but the loss of a key architect of its crypto agenda raises questions about momentum heading into the next legislative session.
