A report covered by Cointelegraph on September 23, 2026 identifies the sitting US Treasury Secretary as the leading candidate for the White House AI and crypto czar post left vacant after David Sacks stepped down earlier this year.
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A report covered by Cointelegraph on September 23, 2026 identifies the sitting US Treasury Secretary as the leading candidate to become the next White House AI and crypto czar. The position has been vacant since David Sacks stepped down from the role earlier this year. The report did not indicate whether a formal announcement is imminent, nor did it detail any conditions attached to the move. The Treasury Secretary post is currently held by Scott Bessent, whose department oversees tax administration, federal borrowing and financial sanctions.
President Donald Trump named David Sacks as his AI and crypto czar before his administration took office, handing the venture capitalist a dual mandate covering both artificial intelligence and digital assets. Sacks stepped down earlier this year after reaching the service limit that applies to special government employees. Under federal ethics law, an SGE is generally capped at 130 days of service within any 365-day period, a constraint designed for outside experts brought in for limited assignments. That cap, rather than any stated policy disagreement, is what ended his tenure, leaving the office without a permanent holder.
Treasury is already the lead agency on several matters that touch both portfolios, including sanctions enforcement, anti-money-laundering rules and the implementation of digital asset tax reporting. The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network and the Internal Revenue Service both operate under its umbrella, as do several bank regulators. Placing the AI czar portfolio with a sitting Treasury Secretary would concentrate policy coordination in a department that already writes and enforces many of the rules AI and crypto firms encounter. It would also mark a shift from the previous arrangement, in which the czar worked out of the White House rather than a cabinet department.
The AI and crypto czar coordinates policy across agencies rather than running a single department, working with bodies such as the SEC, the CFTC, the FTC and the Commerce Department. The mandate includes advising on AI procurement and safety frameworks, as well as pending legislation on stablecoin issuance and market structure. Because the office holder has no direct rulemaking authority, influence depends heavily on access to the president and relationships with agency heads. That makes the identity of the next appointee a point of interest for industries still waiting on unresolved federal rules in both fields.
The role is a White House position created to coordinate federal policy on artificial intelligence and digital assets across multiple agencies. It was first held by David Sacks, who was named to the post by President Donald Trump. The position has been vacant since Sacks stepped down earlier this year.
Sacks left after reaching the service limit that applies to special government employees, a status used for outside experts serving limited terms. Under federal ethics rules, SGEs are generally restricted to 130 days of service within any 365-day period. His departure was therefore tied to that time cap rather than a reported policy dispute.
The Treasury Secretary leads the department responsible for federal finances, including tax collection, government borrowing, sanctions enforcement and oversight of financial regulation. The department also houses units such as the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network and the Internal Revenue Service. The post is currently held by Scott Bessent.
The Reported Frontrunner
How the Role Became Vacant
Why Treasury Sits at the Center of Both Files
What the Czar Role Covers
Questions Still Unanswered
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It remains unclear whether the Treasury Secretary would hold both positions simultaneously or whether the AI and crypto portfolios would be split, an option some industry participants have floated. No timeline for a decision has been reported, and it is not yet known whether other candidates remain under consideration. If one person occupies both roles, questions about workload, recusal and the separation of fiscal and technology policy would likely follow. Until an appointment is confirmed, agencies continue to operate under existing authorities and pending rulemaking. Based on public news sources.
It would be a departure from the previous arrangement, in which the czar worked out of the White House rather than leading a cabinet department. Combining the two would concentrate technology and financial policy coordination in a single office. That could raise questions about workload and about how fiscal decisions are kept separate from technology policy.
The czar does not hold direct rulemaking authority, since agencies such as the SEC and CFTC write and enforce the rules themselves. The office holder's main lever is coordination, which includes setting priorities, convening agencies and shaping legislation. The appointment therefore matters most for how quickly and consistently federal digital asset policy develops.
