A White House teleprompter operator is under investigation over allegations he used inside knowledge of President Donald Trump's speeches to place winning bets worth nearly $100,000, accordin
A White House teleprompter operator is under investigation over allegations he used inside knowledge of President Donald Trump's speeches to place winning bets worth nearly $100,000, according to reports first published by ABC News and later confirmed by CBS News, the BBC's U.S. partner.
Gabriel Perez, who has worked at the White House since 2016, is accused of betting on specific words Trump would use during major public addresses, including the State of the Union.
The trades were placed on Kalshi, a prediction markets platform where users can bet on real-world events.
Kalshi told the BBC its analysts noticed unusual activity in March on its "mention markets," where users predict whether a speaker will use certain terms, such as country names or economic phrases.
"The words of political leaders like Presidents and Fed chairs cause billions of dollars of movement in FX markets, oil futures, and the stock market," Kalshi said.
Using account data, Kalshi identified the user as a federal employee operating White House teleprompters and froze more than $90,000 before it could be withdrawn. Robert DeNault, Kalshi's head of enforcement, said the firm flagged the trades and handed evidence to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, which regulates the platform.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed Trump was aware of the matter, saying Perez has been placed on unpaid leave and will no longer work at the White House.
According to sources cited by ABC News, Perez has been "fully cooperative" with the CFTC, and federal prosecutors in Manhattan declined to open a criminal case.
When contacted by TheStreet Roundtable for comment, a CFTC spokesperson said, "The CFTC can't confirm or deny an investigation."
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