US Prediction Market Insider Identified as Trump's Teleprompter Operator

One of the individuals who profited from using non-public government information in U.S. prediction markets has been identified as a speech script operator for President Donald Trump.

The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) is investigating Gabriel Perez, a deputy assistant to the president and technical advisor, for alleged insider trading on the prediction market platform Kalshi, multiple sources told ABC and CNN on July 16 (local time).

Prediction markets, which are gaining popularity in the United States, are platforms where users bet on the outcomes of specific political or social events.

Examples include platforms like Polymarket and Kalshi, where participants place bets on events such as whether or when the U.S. military might conduct an airstrike on Iran.

Perez is responsible for operating the teleprompter that displays speech scripts when the president speaks.

He placed bets in "mention markets," which predict which specific words or phrases will be used publicly by prominent figures, including President Trump.

CNN reported that because President Trump's speeches often undergo numerous revisions until the very last moment, Perez is one of the few staff members with access to the final version of the scripts.

President Trump has reportedly trusted Perez for 10 years, stating that only he can operate his teleprompter, and his annual salary of $175,000 is considered high even within the White House.

As someone with advance knowledge of the president's speech content, Perez was in a position to easily win bets in the mention markets. He is reported to have earned nearly $100,000 from his activities on Kalshi.

In a statement, Kalshi said, "Our surveillance team detected this (Perez's) trading activity and referred it to the CFTC."

The CFTC declined to confirm whether it is investigating Perez.

ABC reported that Perez is attempting to reach a settlement with the CFTC on the condition of returning his profits, and that federal prosecutors in Manhattan, New York, have decided not to pursue criminal charges against him.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said at a briefing that day that Perez has been placed on unpaid leave, adding that it was "a decision made by the President."

CNN reported that this is the first confirmed case of a White House staffer being involved in insider trading on prediction markets, which have seen explosive growth this year.

Perez's case is likely just the "tip of the iceberg" when looking at the Trump administration as a whole.

While Perez only had advance knowledge of President Trump's speech scripts, allegations of insider trading in prediction markets have been raised across the board, involving military officials and their spouses regarding President Trump's social media posts or military operations in Venezuela and Iran.

In fact, in April, a U.S. military member was arrested for allegedly profiting approximately $400,000 on Polymarket by using information regarding an operation to oust former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.

Beyond prediction markets, abnormal trading activity has been detected in stock and crude oil futures markets ahead of President Trump's announcements, leading the White House to warn staff to refrain from speculative trading.
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.