White House crypto council has no staff left after Patrick Witt departs, with the CLARITY Act stalled

The White House's crypto policy office has lost its last staffer. Patrick Witt, executive director of the President's Council of Advisers for Digital Assets, announced his departure this week, and no replacement has been named, according to Cointelegraph and The Hill, both dated October 15.

What the reports say

Witt said he is leaving for the private sector and called government service "the privilege of a lifetime." The Hill reports that a White House official confirmed his detail had expired, and that the White House said crypto and the CLARITY Act "will continue to be a priority for the President." Cointelegraph reports that Witt was the last remaining staffer on the council, after David Sacks left in March and deputy Harry Jung in July. Neither outlet reported whether a successor is planned. Cointelegraph said it had asked.

The council has not been dissolved, so this is a vacancy, not a closure.

Where the CLARITY Act stands

Both outlets note the market structure bill fell short in the Senate in September: Cointelegraph reports a failed cloture vote and says further progress this session looks unlikely. The Hill says the SEC and CFTC are advancing their own crypto rulemaking, and Witt praised SEC Chair Paul Atkins and CFTC Chair Michael Selig. We covered what that leaves in place in our earlier piece.

What it changes, and what it does not

The practical effect is on coordination. With no one at the White House dedicated to crypto, negotiation between lawmakers, agencies and industry has no administration point person. Whether that lowers the odds of a bill after the midterms is a judgment, not a fact in either report, and we have not seen anyone cite evidence for it. Agency rulemaking continues regardless, but rules can be rewritten by later administrations in ways a statute cannot.

A council that has shrunk steadily

The Hill notes that Witt's predecessor, Bo Hines, left the administration in August 2025, after the GENIUS Act on stablecoins was signed. Witt also worked on the Trump transition team and held roles at the Pentagon, per the same report. Counting Hines, Sacks, Jung and now Witt, four named leaders and staffers have left since August 2025. That is the context for the uncertainty.

Traders should treat the next signal as the nomination or naming of a successor, or a scheduled Senate return to the bill. Neither has been announced.

Sources: Cointelegraph and The Hill, October 15, 2026. Information, not investment advice.