Nicolai Haugsted
Trump’s closest speech aide accused of turning presidential remarks into profit.
Questions surrounding ethics inside Donald Trump’s White House have intensified after federal investigators reportedly uncovered a betting pattern involving one of the president’s closest behind-the-scenes aides.
According to ABC News, the employee at the center of the case is Gabriel Perez, Trump’s longtime teleprompter operator, who is alleged to have profited from wagers tied directly to presidential speeches he helped prepare.
Investigation focuses on prediction market bets
According to ABC News, investigators with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) believe Perez used privileged knowledge to place bets on Kalshi, a prediction market where users can wager on whether specific words, phrases or topics will be mentioned during public speeches.
Sources familiar with the investigation told the outlet that Perez is negotiating a settlement with federal regulators after allegedly earning more than $100,000 through trades linked to over a dozen Trump speeches.
The bets reportedly covered several high-profile appearances, including February’s State of the Union address, a primetime speech in December, Trump’s appearance at the World Economic Forum in Davos and remarks delivered during a Medal of Honor ceremony in March.
Kalshi alerted regulators
The unusual trading activity was reportedly detected by Kalshi itself before being referred to federal authorities.
“Our surveillance team promptly flagged and referred these trades to the CFTC, and we are cooperating and assisting regulators,” Kalshi’s head of enforcement, Bobby DeNault, said in a statement provided to ABC News.
Investigators reportedly suspect Perez benefited from his unique access to Trump’s prepared remarks. Having worked as the president’s teleprompter operator since the 2016 campaign, Perez is often among the final people to review speeches and is said to receive last-minute edits directly from Trump.
White House takes action
Following ABC News’ reporting, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed that Perez has been placed on unpaid administrative leave.
Leavitt said she discussed the matter with President Trump, who considered the allegations “a disgrace” and personally decided Perez should be removed from active duty while the matter is addressed.
White House spokesperson Davis Ingle also emphasized the administration’s ethics standards.
“The White House has strict ethics guidelines that we expect all staffers and officials to follow.”
According to ABC News, the White House circulated an internal memo earlier this year warning employees against using nonpublic information to place bets on prediction markets.
Perez has previously drawn scrutiny from congressional and federal investigators over edits made to remarks delivered by Trump ahead of the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. The CFTC has declined to comment on the current investigation.
