Trump's teleprompter operator placed on unpaid leave for betting on his speeches

President Donald Trump's longtime teleprompter operator has been placed on unpaid administrative leave after allegations surfaced that he used inside knowledge of the president's prepared speeches to place bets on an online prediction market, the White House confirmed on Thursday.

Gabriel Perez, who has operated Trump's teleprompter since the 2016 presidential campaign, is under investigation by the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) over allegations that he placed wagers on more than a dozen of Trump's speeches through Kalshi, a federally regulated prediction market, earning more than $100,000 using non-public information, as per ABC News report.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump had been briefed on the matter and personally decided to place Perez on unpaid administrative leave.

"The White House has extremely strict ethical guidelines with respect to issues like this," Leavitt told reporters, describing the allegations as "unfortunate" and "a disgrace."

ABC News reported, citing sources familiar with the investigation, that Perez is in discussions with federal regulators over a possible settlement that could require him to forfeit his profits and refrain from similar trading in the future.

The alleged trades were placed on Kalshi's "Mentions" market, where users wager on whether specific words, phrases or topics will be mentioned during public speeches.

According to the report, investigators believe Perez placed bets on more than a dozen Trump appearances over a three-month period, including the State of the Union address, a speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, a Medal of Honor ceremony and other public events.

Investigators also reportedly found instances in which Perez withdrew or modified bets during speeches after Trump deviated from his prepared remarks and skipped portions containing words on which bets had been placed.

Kalshi said it identified the suspicious trading activity and referred the matter to federal regulators.

"Our surveillance team promptly flagged and referred these trades to the CFTC, and we are cooperating and assisting regulators," Kalshi's head of enforcement, Bobby DeNault, said in a statement.

According to the report, Perez has served as one of Trump's closest technical aides since 2016 and typically reviews the president's prepared remarks before public appearances, often incorporating last-minute edits dictated by Trump.

Kalshi's policies prohibit users from placing trades based on confidential information obtained through their employment. The company also recently updated its rules to require users to disclose their place of employment.

According to ABC News, federal prosecutors in Manhattan were informed of the matter but declined to open a criminal investigation. The discussions between Perez and the CFTC over a possible civil settlement remain ongoing.

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