US Crypto Executives Meet Lutnick, Seek White House Help on CLARITY Act

Senior executives from the U.S. crypto industry met with Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and urged swift passage of the CLARITY Act, while discussing how the White House could help secure bipartisan support for the bill, according to a report.

Eleanor Terrett, host of Crypto in America, reported on Aug. 19 that some industry officials held a separate meeting with Lutnick ahead of a White House event involving President Donald Trump and leading figures from the crypto sector.

Those in attendance included Coinbase Chief Executive Officer Brian Armstrong, Andreessen Horowitz partner Chris Dixon, Ripple Chief Executive Officer Brad Garlinghouse and Kraken co-Chief Executive Officer Arjun Sethi.

The discussion centered on the CLARITY Act. Participants talked about how the bill's passage could boost U.S. job creation and economic growth, and help draw crypto companies and founders that moved overseas back to the U.S.

They also discussed issues holding up the legislation. Among them were unresolved ethics provisions related to Trump's crypto business.

Participants further discussed what role the White House could play in helping Democrats and Republicans reach a compromise.

The CLARITY Act has been delayed in the Senate because of disagreements between the two parties over ethics provisions and other issues. The Senate is set to hold its first procedural vote on the bill on Sept. 15 after its August recess.