Kevin Warsh 'crypto' appointment claims

Social media posts on May 22 said President Donald Trump was set to swear in Kevin Warsh as the “FIRST CRYPTO Federal Reserve” official in U.S. history. Public records show something narrower and more concrete: Trump nominated Warsh to be chairman of the Federal Reserve Board, the Senate confirmed him this month, and the Fed said on May 15 that Jerome Powell would serve as chair pro tempore until Warsh is sworn in. The White House announced on January 30 that Trump had nominated Warsh to serve as chairman of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System. A separate White House nominations notice in March said Warsh was also nominated to be a member of the Board of Governors for a 14-year term. The claim circulating Friday adds a crypto label that does not appear in the official nomination language or in the Fed’s transition announcement. (whitehouse.gov) Neither the White House news page nor the Federal Reserve news page showed a May 22 release creating or describing a “crypto” Federal Reserve role for Warsh. ### What do the official records actually say Warsh was appointed to? The Senate recorded two confirmation votes for Warsh in May. (whitehouse.gov) On May 12, senators confirmed him 51-45 to be a member of the Federal Reserve Board. On May 13, senators confirmed him 54-45 to be chairman of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System for a four-year term. (whitehouse.gov) Congressional records and White House materials use the standard titles of board member and chair. They do not use the phrase “crypto Federal Reserve,” “crypto chair,” or any similar designation in the nomination descriptions surfaced in public records. ### Where did the “crypto” framing come from? An X post cited in the social-media briefing said Trump was set to swear in Warsh as the “FIRST CRYPTO Federal Reserve.” The post, as described in the briefing, cited unnamed sources and did not link to a White House order, Senate action, or Federal Reserve release establishing such a title. (senate.gov) The White House did issue an executive order on May 19 titled “Integrating Financial Technology Innovation into Regulatory Frameworks,” according to its news index. (congress.gov) But the index entry does not identify Warsh, and the existence of that order does not by itself show that Warsh was given a separate crypto-specific office at the Fed. That connection would be an inference, not a stated fact in the official items reviewed here. (federalreserve.gov) ### Has Warsh been sworn in yet? The Federal Reserve said on May 15 that Powell would serve as chair pro tempore until Warsh is sworn in as the new chair. That statement indicates the confirmation had occurred but the swearing-in had not yet happened as of that date. As of the White House and Federal Reserve news pages available on May 22, no separate swearing-in announcement for Warsh appeared in the items surfaced by those official sites. (whitehouse.gov) ### So what can be said with confidence? Kevin Warsh has been nominated by Trump and confirmed by the Senate to serve as Federal Reserve chair and as a member of the Board of Governors. That part is documented in White House, Senate and Federal Reserve records. (federalreserve.gov) The “first crypto Federal Reserve” claim is not supported by the official materials reviewed on May 22. (whitehouse.gov) The next formal marker is Warsh’s swearing-in, which the Fed said would end Powell’s temporary service as chair pro tempore. (federalreserve.gov) (whitehouse.gov)