Hassett's Coinbase Stake Raises Conflict of Interest Concerns Amid Regulatory Rewrite
National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett held between $1M and $5M in vested Coinbase shares at the end of 2025, according to a previously unreported annual financial filing. The stake sat on his books while the Trump administration rewrote federal crypto regulation.
The timing of Hassett's disclosure is significant because he served as director of the council that housed Trump’s digital-assets working group even as his Coinbase position remained unresolved. Coinbase itself has been central to the regulatory rewrite now moving through Congress.
Hassett said he recused himself from crypto matters while ethics officials reviewed his holdings, and he chose not to sell the shares to avoid the appearance of timing. The White House confirmed his recusal remains in effect, declining to comment on whether he still owns the shares or whether it affected his economic-policy work.