White House Teleprompter Operator Caught in Insider Betting Scandal

Gabriel Perez, a fixture on the president’s communications team since his first campaign, is currently in talks with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission to settle claims he leveraged inside knowledge to secure over $100,000 in profits. Investigators suggest Perez, who often handled last-minute edits from the president, placed wagers on specific topics or phrases scheduled for inclusion in upcoming addresses. Kalshi, the prediction market where the trades occurred, flagged the activity and alerted federal regulators.

While the White House maintains it enforces strict ethical guidelines—including a March memo that explicitly warned staff against using nonpublic information for market speculation—the incident highlights a broader tension. Watchdog groups like Public Citizen argue that the administration has allowed prediction markets to function with minimal oversight, creating a "Wild West" environment. Critics point to the irony of the administration’s stance, noting that while Perez faces administrative leave, questions persist regarding the president’s own $2.2 billion in earnings during his first year back in office and his company’s stated plans to launch its own betting platform on Truth Social.