Trump teleprompter operator reportedly used inside knowledge to make prediction market bets
by Mary McCue Bell · The Washington TimesPresident Trump’s teleprompter operator reportedly made roughly $100,000 by using inside knowledge of the president’s speeches to place bets.
Federal investigators with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission found that Gabriel Perez, a technical assistant who has been a teleprompter operator since Mr. Trump’s first term in office, reportedly wagered on the State of the Union address in February on prediction market Kalshi.
He allegedly bet on Kalshi’s “Mentions” market, where users can wager on whether specific words, phrases or topics are said during a public speech.
The prediction market “promptly flagged and referred” the trades to the commission and is “cooperating and assisting regulators,” Kalshi lawyer Bobby DeNault said in a statement.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in her Thursday briefing that the president is aware of the report and believes it’s “deeply unfortunate and, frankly, a disgrace.”
She said that “this individual will no longer be here” and confirmed that the staffer will be placed on unpaid administrative leave, a decision she said was issued by Mr. Trump.
Federal investigators found that within three months, Mr. Perez placed bets on over a dozen of the president’s speeches, including this year at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, at the Detroit Economic Club and during a Medal of Honor ceremony, ABC News reported.
Mr. Perez reportedly backed out of certain trades midspeech when Mr. Trump, who is known to go off script, skipped over parts of his speech that included a word Mr. Perez had bet would be mentioned.
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Mr. Perez is allegedly in talks with federal regulators to settle allegations that he used his inside knowledge to win tens of thousands of dollars.
Terms of the settlement would require him to return his profits and refrain from making similar trades, ABC News reported.
Kalshi prohibits users from placing trades or bets using nonpublic information obtained through their employment.
White House spokesman Davis Ingle said in a statement that “the staffer in question is fully cooperating with the CFTC.”
He added, “The White House has strict ethics guidelines that we expect all staffers and officials to follow.”
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When questioned about why more regulations are not in place, Ms. Leavitt said there are “very strict ethical guidelines here at the White House that explicitly state not to do this, and the White House counsel’s office makes that clear to all of us who sign up to work in government on behalf of the president.”
The White House warned staff in a March memo against engaging in insider trading, according to multiple reports.
Mr. Ingle said at the time that “any implication that Administration officials are engaged in such activity without evidence is baseless and irresponsible reporting.”
Suspiciously well-timed bets on prediction markets have included a series of trades related to the war in Iran, the Trump administration’s January operation in Venezuela and former Rep. George Santos’ reported bets on Mr. Trump’s State of the Union address.
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Mary McCue Bell
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