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Sources tell ABC News that Gabriel Perez, who operated Pres. Trump’s teleprompter for over a decade, allegedly used inside information to make $100,000 betting on his speeches.
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A longtime teleprompter operator for President Donald Trump is reportedly in talks with federal regulators after allegedly using advance knowledge of the president’s speeches to profit on a prediction market.
According to ABC News, Gabriel Perez, who has worked as Trump’s teleprompter operator since the 2016 presidential campaign, is accused of making more than $100,000 by placing bets on Kalshi, a federally regulated prediction market that allows users to wager on outcomes tied to current events.
Karoline Leavitt addressed the matter during her first press breifing since giving birth to her daughter, where she stated that Trump has read the report and believes, “it’s deeply unfortunate and frankly a disgrace.” Leavitt went on to explain that the “individual that was cited is complying with the CFTC” but has been put on unpaid administrative leave.
Sources familiar with the investigation told ABC News that Perez allegedly placed bets on Kalshi’s “Mentions” market, where users predict whether specific words, phrases or topics will be mentioned during public speeches. Investigators believe Perez wagered on Trump’s February State of the Union address as well as more than a dozen other speeches over a three-month period, including remarks delivered at the World Economic Forum in Davos, a Medal of Honor ceremony and other public appearances.
For Thursday night’s address Leavitt says, “there will be a prompter operator tonight, of course, but it will not be the one, unfortunately in that story.”
The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), which regulates prediction markets, reportedly began investigating after Kalshi’s internal surveillance team flagged suspicious trading activity and referred it to federal regulators.
“Our surveillance team promptly flagged and referred these trades to the CFTC, and we are cooperating and assisting regulators,” Kalshi’s lead attorney, Bobby DeNault, said in a statement to ABC News.
White House spokesperson Davis Ingle said the administration expects employees to follow strict ethics standards and confirmed Perez is cooperating with the CFTC investigation.
“The White House has strict ethics guidelines that we expect all staffers and officials to follow,” Ingle said.
The report says he typically reviews the president’s prepared remarks before speeches and often receives last-minute edits directly from Trump.
Investigators also reportedly found instances in which Perez adjusted or exited wagers during speeches after Trump deviated from prepared remarks. Trump has frequently joked about going “off teleprompter,” telling audiences earlier this year that he improvises during many of his speeches.
Sources told ABC News that Perez acknowledged some of the trades during an interview with regulators. Federal prosecutors in Manhattan were notified during the investigation but declined to pursue criminal charges, according to the report.
Perez is now reportedly discussing a civil settlement with the CFTC that would require him to surrender any profits and refrain from similar trading in the future.
READ MORE: https://13wham.com/news/nation-world/trump-donald-trump-gabriel-perez-teleprompter-operator-kalshi-prediction-market-cftc-insider-trading-trump-speeches-white-house-federal-investigation
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