ABC: Trump Aide Allegedly Profited From Bets on Presidential Speeches

(AP) – President Donald Trump’s longtime teleprompter operator is in settlement discussions with federal regulators over allegations that he used advance knowledge of the president’s prepared speeches to profit from prediction market wagers, according to ABC News.

Citing people familiar with the matter, ABC reported that Gabriel Perez, a White House technical assistant who has operated Trump’s teleprompter since the 2016 presidential campaign, allegedly earned more than $100,000 by placing bets on the contents of more than a dozen presidential speeches through the prediction market Kalshi.

The report said the Commodity Futures Trading Commission began investigating after Kalshi flagged suspicious trading activity involving its “Mentions” market, which allows users to wager on whether certain words or topics will appear in public speeches. According to ABC, Kalshi voluntarily referred the trades to federal regulators and has been cooperating with the investigation.

ABC reported that investigators believe Perez placed wagers on several high-profile speeches, including the president’s State of the Union address, remarks at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, and other public appearances over a three-month period. Investigators also examined instances in which bets were allegedly adjusted during speeches when Trump departed from prepared remarks, the report said.

White House spokesperson Davis Ingle told ABC that the administration expects all staff members to follow its ethics rules and said Perez is cooperating with the CFTC investigation. A CFTC spokesperson declined to comment, according to the report.

ABC reported that federal prosecutors in Manhattan were informed of the matter but declined to pursue criminal charges. Instead, regulators are discussing a potential civil settlement that could require Perez to forfeit any profits and refrain from similar trading in the future.

Kalshi prohibits users from placing wagers based on confidential information obtained through their employment. The company recently strengthened its compliance policies by requiring users to disclose their employer and has said it is expanding safeguards against insider trading.

Perez remains employed as one of Trump’s teleprompter operators while the matter is being resolved, according to ABC.