Gabriel Perez, who has served as the teleprompter operator for President Donald Trump since 2016, has been placed on unpaid administrative leave. The decision follows allegations that Perez placed bets on the online prediction market Kalshi regarding the content of the president's public speeches.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed that the action was taken at the direction of the president and stated that Perez will no longer be working at the White House. Leavitt emphasized that the administration maintains extremely strict ethical guidelines regarding such matters.
The activity was brought to light by Kalshi, which flagged the trades through its internal surveillance team. Robert Denault, the company’s lawyer and head of enforcement, stated on X that the organization promptly investigated the trades and referred the evidence to the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), which holds regulatory authority over the platform. Denault noted that Kalshi has been actively assisting federal regulators and providing all collected evidence.
According to reports from ABC News, the CFTC is currently reviewing the suspicious activity, and Perez is engaged in settlement discussions with the regulator. Kalshi's head of enforcement said the company had contacted federal regulators over bets allegedly placed on what the president would say in public speeches.
