White House Teleprompter Aide Accused of Making $100K Betting on Trump’s Speeches

A longtime White House teleprompter operator for U.S. President Donald Trump has been placed on unpaid administrative leave after federal regulators investigated allegations that he profited by betting on the content of the president’s public speeches using insider knowledge. According to multiple media reports citing sources familiar with the investigation, Gabriel Perez, who has worked with Trump since the 2016 presidential campaign, is negotiating a settlement with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) over claims he earned more than $100,000 through prediction market trades.

The allegations have intensified scrutiny of prediction markets and raised fresh ethical questions about the use of nonpublic government information for financial gain.

Investigation centers on speech-based prediction markets

Federal investigators are examining trades Gabriel Perez allegedly placed on Kalshi, a regulated prediction market platform where users can wager on future events.

The investigation focuses on Kalshi’s “mentions” market, which allows participants to predict whether specific words or phrases will be spoken during public speeches.

Sources familiar with the inquiry claim Gabriel Perez allegedly used his access to draft presidential remarks to place wagers before Trump delivered addresses, including the State of the Union, speeches at the World Economic Forum in Davos, and several other public appearances over recent months.

Investigators reportedly believe more than a dozen speeches were involved.

White House places staffer on leave

Following reports of the investigation, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed that Gabriel Perez had been placed on unpaid administrative leave.

Leavitt said Trump personally approved the decision after being briefed on the allegations, describing the situation as “a disgrace.”

A White House spokesperson emphasized that administration employees are expected to comply with strict ethics standards governing the handling of confidential government information.

Officials also stated they were unaware of any other White House employees engaging in similar trading activities.

Kalshi flagged unusual betting activity

Kalshi said its internal surveillance systems detected suspicious trading patterns and voluntarily referred the matter to regulators.

In a statement, Bobby DeNault, the platform’s head of enforcement, said the company’s monitoring team promptly identified the unusual trades and has been cooperating fully with the CFTC investigation.

Kalshi prohibits users from placing trades based on confidential information obtained through their employment or professional duties.

The platform recently strengthened its compliance procedures by requiring users to disclose their employers as part of enhanced integrity measures.

No criminal charges filed

Sources familiar with the investigation said Perez has acknowledged some of the trades during interviews with regulators.

Although the CFTC reportedly alerted federal prosecutors in Manhattan, no criminal case has been opened.

Instead, regulators are said to be pursuing a civil settlement that could require Perez to surrender any profits generated from the disputed trades and agree not to engage in similar activity in the future.

Neither the CFTC nor Perez has publicly commented on the ongoing negotiations.

Prediction markets under increasing scrutiny

The investigation arrives as prediction markets continue to expand rapidly across the United States.

Platforms such as Kalshi and Polymarket now allow users to trade contracts linked to elections, economic indicators, political events, and even the language used in public speeches.

Supporters argue that prediction markets improve forecasting and provide valuable market insights.

Critics, however, warn that such platforms can become vulnerable to insider trading when participants possess confidential information unavailable to the broader public.

Federal authorities have recently brought several high-profile cases involving alleged misuse of privileged information in prediction markets, including investigations involving a U.S. military officer and a technology company employee.

Trump has expressed mixed views

President Trump has previously expressed reservations about prediction markets while acknowledging their growing role in financial markets.

Speaking earlier this year, Trump described modern betting markets as part of an increasingly speculative global economy but also argued that the United States should remain competitive in the sector.

Last year, Trump Media & Technology Group announced it was exploring opportunities to develop its own prediction market platform. The latest investigation could reignite debate over ethics rules governing public officials and government employees as prediction markets continue gaining popularity among retail traders.

For now, regulators continue examining whether access to presidential speech drafts created an unfair advantage that crossed the line between informed trading and misuse of confidential government information.