White House clears legal and custody issues for seized bitcoin, readies U.S. Strategic Bitcoin Reserve

White House officials say they have achieved a legal and custody “breakthrough” that gives the government a compliant way to safeguard billions in seized bitcoin, paving the way for a formal Strategic Bitcoin Reserve framework ^{[1] [2]}.

White House advisor Patrick Witt confirmed a public announcement is forthcoming and said interagency work continued despite other legislative priorities; reporting names Harry Jong as a lead in the interagency process and notes involvement from Stephen Miller’s team and DECOSP in execution ^[3].

Officials and market observers say the reserve effort progressed separately from the CLARITY Act and that legal and custody reviews tied to safeguarding government-held bitcoin are complete or near completion, prompting close market attention ahead of the expected announcement ^{[4] [2]}.

The White House characterizes the development as an operational breakthrough and indicates a formal announcement is imminent; no firm date has been disclosed ^{[1] [2]}.