Teleprompter operator under scanner for making $100k off Trump’s speech bets | World News

White House teleprompter operator Gabriel Perez is being probed for her alleged use of internal information to lay bets on the words used United States President Donald Trump in his speeches and generate an income of nearly $100,000, BBC News reported.
Perez’s account frozen
‘Kalshi’, a prediction markets platform where users can bet on real-world events, is at the centre of this controversy.
The platform noticed unusual betting on “mention markets”, contracts where users predict if a public speaker would use common terms, including, names of countries, economic words, or campaign slogans.
“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 stated.
The firm searched through its account data and found that the user was a federal employee operating White House teleprompters.
It then flagged the activity to the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) — which regulates the platform, and presented them with the required evidence.
The firm froze Perez’s account before profits worth more than $90,000 could be withdrawn, BBC noted.Story continues below this ad
White House’s response
Describing the allegations as “deeply unfortunate,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed that President Trump was aware of the teleprompter operator and that the staffer was now on unpaid leave, BBC reported.
Addressing a press briefing, Leavitt said, “Obviously, I’m aware of the report. The President is too. I spoke with him about it. He believes it’s deeply unfortunate and frankly a disgrace, and the individual that was cited in that report is complying with the CFTC but has been put on unpaid adminrative leave. So there will be a teleprompter operator tonight, of course, but it will not be the one, unfortunately in that story.”
She highlighted the strict ethical guidelines followed the White House and assured that Perez would no longer work at the White House.
“Well, the White House has extremely strict ethical guidelines with respect to issues like this, and as I just told you, this individual will no longer be here. He’ll be on adminrative leave without pay. The adminrative leave is unpaid, to be very clear. That was a decision the President, so I think that speaks for itself,” Leavitt added.Story continues below this ad
Earlier this year, the White House circulated guidance warning staff that the misuse of non-public information for financial gain through prediction markets would not be tolerated, CNN reported.
Probe underway?
According to sources who spoke to BBC, Perez has so far been “fully cooperative” with the CFTC.
Meanwhile, ABC News reported that federal prosecutors in Manhattan had declined to open a criminal case in the matter.
Seeking confirmation on the probe, BBC reached out to the CFTC, which said it could not “confirm or deny” any probe.Story continues below this ad
Who is Gabriel Perez?
Employed at the White House since 2016, Gabriel Perez has been accused of placing bets on words Trump would use in significant public addresses, even his State of the Union speech.
Perez had worked closely with Trump for close to a decade and was regarded as one of the President’s most trusted aides.
According to CNN, Perez’s official title, while he was employed at the White House, was Deputy Assant to the President and Technical Advisor. His annual salary was USD 175,000.
He was often among the last people to review Trump’s prepared remarks before they are delivered publicly, giving him direct access to the final version of his speeches.
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