Patrick Witt begins military leave as CLARITY Act negotiations intensify

Jul 14, 2026

Patrick Witt, the White House's top crypto adviser, is taking a months-long military leave at a critical time for the CLARITY Act. His deputy, Harry Jung, will now lead negotiations as the Senate races to pass the crypto market structure bill before its August recess. The legislation, which requires 60 votes, is stalled by ethics provisions related to President Trump's reported $1.4 billion in crypto earnings.

Witt military leave

▪Patrick Witt, the White House's top crypto adviser, will begin a months-long military leave in July 2026
▪Witt, 37, had applied for the JAG program in the spring of 2025 and had already postponed his training once to continue work on the CLARITY Act
▪Witt is scheduled to report on July 27 to the Georgia Army National Guard’s Judge Advocate General (JAG) program to train as a military attorney

Clarity Act negotiations

▪Senate leaders aim to hold a floor debate on the CLARITY Act before Congress's August 7 recess
▪The CLARITY Act is a market structure bill that would divide oversight of digital assets between the SEC and the CFTC
▪The bill requires 60 votes to pass in the Senate due to filibuster rules
▪Prediction market Polymarket prices the CLARITY Act's 2026 passage near 48 percent, down from 74 percent a month earlier
▪The bill passed the House of Representatives in July 2025 by a 294-134 vote and the Senate Banking Committee in May 2026 by a 15-9 vote

Ethics provisions obstacle

▪Financial disclosures showed President Trump earned over $1.4 billion from crypto ventures in the past year
▪Senator Elizabeth Warren has pushed for language in the bill to bar officials and their families from profiting from the crypto sector
▪Unresolved ethics provisions related to President Donald Trump's business interests are a major obstacle to the bill's passage

White House crypto leadership transition

▪Jung worked alongside Witt and participated in many of the same negotiations, a factor cited for continuity
▪In Witt's absence, crypto council deputy director Harry Jung is expected to assume his duties, including lead negotiation on the CLARITY Act
▪It remains unconfirmed whether Witt will return to his White House role full-time after completing his military training

Broader crypto policy portfolio

▪Before joining the White House in August 2025, Witt spent two years at the Defense Department
▪Witt's responsibilities included directing the rollout of the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and work on the GENIUS Act, a stablecoin law enacted in July 2025