A former White House teleprompter operator, Gabriel Perez, is being investigated after allegedly placing nearly $100,000 in bets on President Donald Trump’s upcoming speeches.
Perez, who worked in the White House from 2016, was said to have used inside‑look at scripting to predict the words Trump would use during high‑profile addresses, including the State of the Union.
He placed his trades on Kalshi, a prediction‑markets platform, where users bet on whether a speaker will use specific terms.
Kalshi reported the activity to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission and froze over $90,000 before any withdrawals could be made.
The platform’s analytics identified Perez as a federal employee operating White House teleprompters, highlighting a breach of ethical standards and potential insider trading.
Kalshi’s head of enforcement, Robert DeNault, said the trades were flagged and evidence has been handed over to regulators.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed that Perez is now on unpaid leave and will no longer work in the White House.
The story, first reported by ABC News, was verified by CBS News and the BBC’s US partner. Federal prosecutors in Manhattan have declined to bring a criminal case, and sources say Perez is cooperating fully with the CFTC.
The CFTC remains silent on whether it is investigating the matter, citing its policy of not confirming or denying inquiries.
