Patrick Witt, the Executive Director of the President’s Council of Advisors for Digital Assets, is racing to push the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act through the House by July 4, 2026. The timeline is ambitious. The politics are even more so.
Witt’s legislative sprint comes against a backdrop of intensifying scrutiny over former President Trump’s cryptocurrency ventures, which have created a unique challenge: how do you write ethics rules for an entire industry when one of the most politically powerful figures in the country has deep financial ties to it?
The Clarity Act and the clock
The bill, known informally as the Clarity Act, aims to establish comprehensive regulatory frameworks for digital assets, including ethics regulations and conflict-of-interest provisions. The Senate Banking Committee markup is scheduled for June 2026, setting up a tight window for House passage by Independence Day.
Witt has been deliberate about one particular design choice: the ethics provisions are broad and do not single out specific individuals. In English: the rules would apply to everyone equally, sidestepping the politically radioactive question of whether legislation should directly target Trump’s crypto dealings.
