White House Crypto Council Director Patrick Witt Steps Down
Key Takeaways
- •Patrick Witt is stepping down as executive director of the White House's Crypto Council to pursue an opportunity in the private sector.
- •Witt served as the White House's lead adviser on the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act, which stalled after the Senate failed to pass a cloture motion in September.
- •His departure makes him the fourth senior exit from the council, following David Sacks, Harry Jung, and Bo Hines, leaving all senior positions vacant.
- •The council is now left without staff to coordinate the administration's digital asset policy while its main legislative effort remains stalled in the Senate.
- •Former director Bo Hines joined stablecoin issuer Tether as a strategic adviser after his departure, while Witt has not disclosed where he is headed.
White House Crypto Council Director Patrick Witt Steps Down
Patrick Witt, the executive director of the White House's Crypto Council, is leaving his role for a new opportunity in the private sector, becoming the fourth high-profile departure from the presidential advisory group on digital assets.
“Serving in this administration has been the privilege of a lifetime,” Witt wrote in a Thursday post on X, adding that he looks forward to continuing to support US technological advancement “in the private sector.”
During his tenure, Witt served as the White House's leading advisor on the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act, legislation that would have created the first comprehensive US regulatory framework for the crypto market. The US Senate failed in September to pass a cloture motion, the procedural vote required to advance the bill, and further progress during the current session is considered unlikely. That leaves the US without the comprehensive market framework the bill would have created, and without the adviser who had led the White House's work on it, as the current session winds down.
Witt's departure leaves a leadership gap at the council, where he was the last remaining staffer. White House crypto and AI czar David Sacks ended his tenure in March, while deputy director Harry Jung departed in July. With Witt's exit, all senior positions at the advisory body now stand vacant, leaving the council without any staff to coordinate the administration's digital asset policy while its most prominent legislative effort sits stalled in the Senate.
Bo Hines, the council's former executive director, announced his own departure in August 2025. Weeks later, Hines took a role as a strategic adviser at stablecoin issuer Tether, tasked with coordinating the company's US expansion. His move from government advisory work to a crypto company offers a concrete illustration of the private-sector path to which Witt alluded, though Witt has not said where he is headed.
Cointelegraph has approached the White House for comment on Witt's departure and on whether a potential replacement has been identified, and will update this report when more information becomes available.
Related: Patrick Witt defers military training as CLARITY heads to Senate
