According to sources familiar with the situation who spoke to ABC News, federal investigators with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission discovered that President Donald Trump‘s longtime teleprompter operator made tens of thousands of dollars by betting on more than a dozen of Trump’s speeches on the prediction market Kalshi.
Gabriel Perez, the president’s technical aide who has been using Trump’s teleprompter since 2016, is in negotiations with federal regulators to resolve claims that he obtained over $100,000 by using his exclusive knowledge of the president’s speeches.
The sources claim that Kalshi reported the unusual behavior on its “Mentions” market, where users can wager on whether particular words, phrases, or subjects are mentioned during a public address, to its regulator, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC).
In a statement given to ABC News, Bobby DeNault, Kalshi’s chief of enforcement, stated:
“Our surveillance team promptly flagged and referred these trades to the CFTC, and we are cooperating and assisting regulators,”
In response to ABC News’ revelation, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt informed reporters on Thursday afternoon that Perez had been placed on unpaid administrative leave. According to Leavitt, she discussed it with President Trump, who called it a “disgrace” and decided to place Perez on unpaid leave.
Leavitt stated that she was not aware of any other White House employees who had engaged in such transactions.
