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Trump teleprompter operator accused in probe over Kalshi speech bets
ABC News says the staffer allegedly made more than $100,000 from Kalshi event contracts tied to over a dozen Trump speeches, with regulators examining whether bets used nonpublic information.
ABC News reports federal regulators are investigating whether a longtime White House teleprompter operator profited from Kalshi event contracts tied to President Donald Trump’s speeches, raising questions about potential insider trading in prediction markets.
According to the report, Gabriel Perez, a technical assistant who has operated Trump’s teleprompter since 2016, allegedly placed bets on more than a dozen “Mentions” markets. The contracts allow traders to wager on whether specific words, phrases, or topics will appear in public speeches.
ABC News adds that Kalshi detected the activity through its surveillance systems and referred the trades to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. The report says regulators uncovered bets tied to more than a dozen speeches over roughly three months, including the State of the Union and remarks at the World Economic Forum.
The investigation follows broader scrutiny of prediction markets as trading activity has risen in recent months. ABC cites prior examples involving Polymarket traders earning about $1 million ahead of a U.S. strike decision and separate reporting about wallets placing bets shortly before explosions were first reported in Tehran.