The federal company that regulates prediction markets is investigating President Donald Trump’s longtime teleprompter operator for potential insider buying and selling, in accordance with two sources aware of the matter.
The sources mentioned White House employee Gabriel Perez made trades on the prediction web site Kalshi that have been flagged for potential insider exercise. The trades have been on “mention markets,” the place customers can guess on which phrases and phrases that public figures, together with Trump, will say at speeches and occasions.
Kalshi referred its findings to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, the federal company that regulates prediction markets. One of the sources mentioned Perez made greater than $90,000 in income from the trades in query, however the income have been frozen.
“Our surveillance team promptly flagged and referred these trades to the CFTC, and we are cooperating and assisting regulators,” Kalshi’s head of enforcement, Robert DeNault, mentioned in an announcement.
Perez has cooperated with the CFTC investigation, in accordance with one of many sources.
NCS has reached out to the White House, CFTC and Perez for remark. In response to NCS’s inquiries, a CFTC spokesperson mentioned the company “can’t confirm or deny an investigation.”
This is the primary recognized occasion of a White House employee alleged to be concerned in an insider buying and selling scheme on prediction markets, which have exploded in recognition this yr.
Earlier this yr, the White House warned its staff towards insider buying and selling on prediction markets. The March 24 memo informed workers that “the misuse of nonpublic information by government employees for financial benefit is a very serious offense and will not be tolerated.”
The Trump-era CFTC has championed prediction markets. But CFTC chair Mike Selig, a Trump appointee, has pledged to crack down on insider buying and selling, together with if it got here from the White House.
Perez is Trump’s longtime teleprompter operator who has traveled and labored with him for a decade. He is likely one of the handful of aides the president trusts together with his remarks and is commonly the final particular person to see Trump’s speeches earlier than he delivers them. Given how typically the president makes final minute edits to public remarks, he works extraordinarily intently with Perez and has beforehand argued that he’s the one one that can function his prompter.
Perez is among the many highest-paid members of White House employees. According to a report submitted to Congress, Perez’s 2026 wage is $175,000. His official title is “deputy assistant to the president and technical advisor.”
Trump praised Perez throughout an occasion in Reno on the 2024 marketing campaign path, saying, “I have a guy, Gabe. He’s excellent. I’ve had some real bad ones, but I have Gabe.”
NCS has a partnership with Kalshi and makes use of its information to cowl main occasions, however NCS editorial workers aren’t allowed to commerce on prediction markets.
“The White House has strict ethics guidelines that we expect all staffers and officials to follow,” White House spokesperson Davis Ingle informed ABC News, which first reported the story. Ingle added, “The staffer in question is fully cooperating with the CFTC.”
Kaitlan Collins, Betsy Klein, and Kevin Liptak contributed to this report.