US trading commission fines ex-White House aide $220K for trading on Trump speech information

The US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) on Aug 28 ordered former White House teleprompter operator Gabriel Perez to pay $172,539 (S$220,000) for using advance access to President Donald Trump’s speeches to make illegal trades on a prediction-market platform.

Perez must repay US$107,539.02 in profits and pay a US$65,000 civil penalty under a settlement with the CFTC. He also agreed to a three-year trading ban and to cease and desist from further violations of the Commodity Exchange Act and CFTC regulations.

The CFTC said Perez traded presidential “mention market” contracts on Kalshi between December 2025 and February 2026 while working at the White House. The contracts are event contracts that pay out based on whether a president uses specific words or phrases in speeches.

Perez could not immediately be reached for comment. He was put on unpaid leave and is no longer working for the federal government.

Perez had access to Trump’s speeches before they were delivered and used that material, non-public information to trade the contracts for his personal benefit, the CFTC said.

The agency said Perez’s US$65,000 penalty represented a substantial discount because of his “exemplary cooperation” with the investigation.

The CFTC also credited KalshiEX with assisting in the matter. REUTERS