White House teleprompter operator investigated over alleged trades on Trump speeches
Axios · LC · trust 64/100
Add Axios on Google President Trump speaks with the aide of a teleprompter at the State of the Union address in February. Photo: Kenny Holston-Pool/Getty Images
Federal regulators are investigating whether a White House teleprompter operator capitalized on his knowledge of President Trump's prepared speech text by making trades on the prediction market Kalshi, according to two sources familiar with the matter.
Why it matters: The rise of prediction markets has raised concerns about insider trading , which Kalshi and federal regulators say they're well positioned to combat.
Driving the news: Gabriel Perez, the teleprompter operator, is under investigation by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission over the allegations that he bet on Kalshi "mention markets" using information on Trump's planned remarks," according to the sources, who were aware of the CFTC's investigation but were not authorized to speak publicly.
The CFTC has discussed terms of a settlement with Perez, which could include him giving back profits from the trades, sources told ABC News , which was first to report the investigation.
Zoom in: "Our surveillance team promptly flagged and referred these trades to the CFTC after an exchange investigation," Robert DeNault, Kalshi's head of enforcement, said in a statement to Axios. "We have been assisting regulators on this matter and provided evidence we collected, as we do in any referral."
What they're saying: Efforts to reach Perez for comment through the White House were unsuccessful.
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