White House Economic Advisor Kevin Hassett Maintained Coinbase Stake Amid Trump Administration's Crypto Policy Reshaping
Kevin Hassett, Director of the White House National Economic Council, held between $1 million and $5 million in Coinbase shares at the end of 2025, according to his previously unreported 2025 annual financial disclosure. This occurred as the Trump administration actively reshaped federal cryptocurrency policy. Hassett, who advised Coinbase from 2021 until January 2025 before joining the White House, stated he recused himself from crypto matters and received ethics guidance. However, ethics experts, including Virginia Canter of Democracy Defenders Fund, question the extent and practical implications of such a recusal, especially given crypto's prominence as a major initiative within the Trump administration and the NEC's role in coordinating economic policy across various agencies. The crypto working group's final report listed Robin Colwell, a deputy assistant to the president for national economic policy, as the NEC representative instead of Hassett.