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White House Teleprompter Operator Accused of Insider Trading Through Speech Bets

A White House teleprompter operator accused of exploiting inside information has become the center of a federal investigation after allegedly earning nearly $100,000 through strategic bets on President Donald Trump’s public addresses. Gabriel Perez, a White House employee since 2016, reportedly placed wagers on specific words the president would incorporate during major speeches, including the highly anticipated State of the Union address. The betting activity took place on Kalshi, a popular prediction markets platform that allows users to wager on real-world events and outcomes.

How the Betting Scheme Unfolded

The investigation centers on what appears to be a sophisticated betting strategy. Perez allegedly monitored upcoming presidential speeches and placed bets on “mention markets” — specialized contracts where participants predict whether speakers will use particular terms during their addresses. These markets cover everything from specific country names to economic terminology and campaign slogans. According to Kalshi’s internal analysis, the betting patterns showed clear signs of someone with advance knowledge of speech content.

Kalshi confirmed it promptly reported the suspicious activity to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), the federal agency responsible for regulating derivatives markets. The platform took immediate action by freezing Perez’s account, preventing the withdrawal of approximately $90,000 in potential profits. This swift response came after Kalshi’s analysts identified unusual betting concentrations on certain speech-related contracts during March.

“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 explained in a statement regarding the incident.

Regulatory Response and White House Action

Robert DeNault, Kalshi’s head of enforcement, confirmed that the firm had flagged the trades and submitted comprehensive evidence to federal regulators. The platform’s account data clearly identified the user as a federal employee responsible for operating White House teleprompters — a position that would naturally provide access to speech content before public release.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt announced that President Trump was fully informed about the situation involving the teleprompter operator. Leavitt confirmed that Perez has been placed on unpaid leave and will no longer continue working at the White House. The incident, first reported by ABC News, has since been corroborated by CBS News, the BBC’s American news partner.

According to sources familiar with the matter, Perez has been described as “fully cooperative” throughout the investigation. Federal prosecutors in Manhattan ultimately declined to pursue criminal charges, though the CFTC investigation remains ongoing. When contacted by the BBC regarding the matter, the CFTC stated it could neither confirm nor deny the existence of any formal probe.

This case highlights growing scrutiny of insider trading activities in prediction markets, particularly when federal employees leverage their positions for financial gain. The White House teleprompter operator accused of these activities represents a new frontier in how government workers might exploit access to sensitive information for personal profit.

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