White House aide denies Clarity Act failed over Trump’s crypto interests

Patrick Witt, executive director of the White House crypto council, denied claims that the Clarity Act failed in the Senate last week because of President Donald Trump’s personal crypto interests, according to CoinDesk. Speaking at a conference at Georgetown University, Witt said Democrats had politicized the issue. He said a recently passed House bill did not include strict government ethics review provisions, while the main focus of the debate over the Clarity Act was the president, and Trump agreed to what Witt described as unprecedented ethics provisions. Witt also argued it was ironic for Democrats to raise concerns about improper conflicts of interest on the grounds that Trump was shaping crypto policy while running crypto businesses, adding that many senators on the Banking Committee hold and trade shares in financial services companies they regulate.