Witt's Deferment: Crypto's Man in the White House Sidesteps JAG School to Stay in the CLARITY Fight 🇺🇸

Patrick Witt, the White House's top crypto adviser, will defer his mandatory military training to remain at his post and shepherd the CLARITY Act through the Senate, he announced Monday. The legislation would create the first comprehensive U.S. regulatory framework for digital assets and faces a deadline to pass the Senate before the Aug. 8 recess.

"Last week, it was reported that I was set to leave for mandatory training as part of my service in the Georgia Army National Guard, right before Clarity hits the Senate floor," Witt said in a post on X. "While I remain committed to fulfilling my service obligation, I am grateful to report that my training has been deferred, and that I will be able to see this effort through to the end." Witt had been expected to report for Judge Advocate General (JAG) training on July 27 to qualify as a legal officer in the Guard. According to a report from Crypto In America on Tuesday, this marks the second time Witt has pushed back his training; he first deferred it in April to continue CLARITY Act negotiations, which stretched longer than anticipated.

Witt has served as executive director of the President's Council of Advisors for Digital Assets since last August and is the administration's lead negotiator on the bill. His decision to stay comes as the council's deputy director, Harry Jung, prepares to exit government. "In two weeks, I will leave government service with immense gratitude," Jung said on X on Monday. "These past two years transformed America's position on crypto. I'm proud of all we accomplished." Jung had originally been slated to assume Witt's responsibilities during his military leave.

Democrats have added certain consumer protection rules to the CLARITY Act, according to a Coinbase executive. The bill now heads to the Senate floor, where its path forward remains tied to the close coordination between the White House crypto team and members of Congress before the summer recess.