In brief
A White House teleprompter operator, Gabriel Perez, is under scrutiny for allegedly placing bets on specific words President Donald Trump would use in major speeches, earning nearly $100,000 on the prediction markets platform Kalshi. Kalshi identified the unusual activity, froze Perez’s account and reported the trades to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. Perez, who has worked at the White House since 2016, was placed on unpaid leave and will no longer work at the White House as the investigation continues. Federal prosecutors declined to initiate a criminal case while the CFTC stated it could not confirm or deny a probe into the matter.
Gabriel Perez, a White House teleprompter operator, has been accused of using insider information to place bets on President Donald Trump’s speech words, earning almost $100,000 on a prediction platform.
Perez, who has worked at the White House since 2016, allegedly bet on specific words Trump would use during key addresses, including the State of the Union speech.
Kalshi reported the activity to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission and froze Perez’s account, preventing withdrawals of the profits.
The platform identified unusual betting on mention markets, contracts that predict whether a speaker will use particular terms. Their data revealed Perez’s federal employee status and his role in White House teleprompters.
As a result, Perez was placed on unpaid leave and will no longer work at the White House. He has reportedly been fully cooperative with regulators.
Federal prosecutors declined to open a criminal case, and the CFTC said it could not confirm or deny a probe.
