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Kalshi flagged alleged trading tied to advance access to Trump remarks
The exchange said it promptly investigated after unusual activity and referred the trades to the CFTC, while ABC News said the aide was placed on unpaid leave on July 16.
Crypto exchange Kalshi said its surveillance team flagged unusual activity, investigated the account, and referred trades tied to allegations of advance access to President Donald Trump prepared remarks to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, according to CryptoSlate.
CryptoSlate reported that the White House placed longtime teleprompter operator Gabriel Perez on unpaid administrative leave on July 16 after ABC News alleged he used access to prepared remarks to earn more than $100,000 on Kalshi. The allegations, as described by the outlet, involve trading that covered more than a dozen speeches over roughly three months, and Perez was said to be discussing a potential settlement with the CFTC.
NPR separately reported that Kalshi froze about $90,000 and banned Perez from the platform, citing unnamed sources. CryptoSlate noted that the timeline of when Kalshi flagged the account, when trading was restricted, and when the referral occurred has not been clearly established in the public reporting, making it difficult to determine whether the exchange restricted trading before any further alleged activity.
CryptoSlate also pointed to the regulatory backdrop, citing a February CFTC advisory that misappropriating confidential information in breach of a duty can violate Commodity Exchange Act Section 6(c)(1) and Regulation 180.1. The outlet said the advisory also describes designated contract markets having an independent duty to maintain audit trails, surveil trading, and enforce rules, and noted that Kalshi’s rulebook bars trading by members with material nonpublic information or influence over an outcome for the relevant contract.