White House Crypto Council Left With No Staff as Patrick Witt Departs

Published October 15, 2026, 00:10 UTC. Based on a White House official's statement reported by The Block and Crypto In America on October 14, 2026, and reporting by The Block and BeInCrypto.

The White House confirmed on October 14, 2026 that the executive director of the President's Council of Advisors for Digital Assets has left his post, leaving the body that coordinates President Donald Trump's crypto policy without any known remaining staff. A White House official said Patrick Witt's "detail has expired," according to The Block, ending the temporary posting that had made him the administration's top crypto adviser.

The detail expired

"The White House appreciates his time and service to the Trump Administration, and wish him the best of luck in the future endeavors," the official said in an email to The Block. Witt was reportedly an employee of the Department of Defense who was on temporary loan to the White House Crypto Council, Crypto In America host Eleanor Terrett reported. Terrett said Witt had put his Georgia National Guard service on hold earlier this year and is expected to return to it.

Witt became executive director in August 2025, after Bo Hines, the council's first leader, returned to the private sector. He had originally planned to leave in July for mandatory Georgia Army National Guard training, but said the training had been postponed, according to The Block.

Third departure, no replacement named

Witt is the third senior crypto official to leave the White House this year. Crypto and AI czar David Sacks departed in March after his 130 days as a special government employee ran out, and Witt's deputy director, Harry Jung, left in July. The White House did not answer direct questions about who will replace Witt, and no official has been publicly named to run crypto policy day to day.

The CLARITY Act stalls

Witt led the administration's push to pass the CLARITY Act, the broad market-structure bill meant to set federal rules for U.S. crypto markets. The House passed its version more than a year ago, and Witt worked to steer negotiations in the Senate. Last month, the Senate version failed an initial procedural vote, falling short of the 60 votes needed to advance. According to The Block, the bill's pitfalls include a fight between banks and crypto firms over how to treat stablecoin rewards and an ethics dispute over President Trump's crypto wealth, which Democrats raised as a reason to withhold support, arguing the enforcement language would not be binding since the Justice Department, not states, would decide whether to act.

The Bitcoin reserve voice

Witt was also the administration's main public voice on the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve, the federal store of seized Bitcoin that Trump created by executive order in March 2025. In a recent interview with crypto commentator Lark Davis, Witt said officials were looking for ways to add more Bitcoin to it, according to BeInCrypto.

Industry reacts

Industry groups praised Witt's tenure. "The American digital asset industry wouldn't be where it is today without Patrick Witt, who worked at the highest levels of government to make the United States the crypto capital of the world," Blockchain Association chief policy officer Lindsay Fraser said in a statement reported by The Block. Kristin Smith, president of the Solana Policy Institute, said Witt's tireless efforts helped advance the debate on market structure. With the council's staffing at zero and the CLARITY Act stalled, the industry now faces an open question of who will lead the White House's crypto agenda next.

This article is news reporting and is not investment advice.

Sources

• White House official statement via email, October 14, 2026, primary source for Witt's departure and the "detail has expired" confirmation, reported by The Block and by Crypto In America's Eleanor Terrett
• The Block, October 14, 2026, secondary source for the departure details, the CLARITY Act negotiation history and procedural-vote failure, the postponed Guard training, the unanswered replacement questions, and the industry reaction statements
• BeInCrypto, October 14, 2026, secondary source for the council being left without remaining staff and Witt's Strategic Bitcoin Reserve remarks