A longtime operator of President Trump's teleprompter has been placed on unpaid administrative leave, with termination proceedings underway, after allegedly winning more than $100,000 on the prediction market Kalshi. The bets were reportedly based on remarks made by the president.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed the situation on Thursday, stating that the staffer, identified by ABC News as Gabriel Perez, "will no longer be here." Leavitt clarified that the administrative leave is unpaid, a decision she attributed to the president.
ABC News reported that Perez is in discussions with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) to resolve allegations of placing bets on Trump using specific words or phrases, or addressing certain topics, in more than a dozen speeches. These speeches reportedly include the February State of the Union address and remarks made at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
Leavitt acknowledged that the staffer is cooperating with the federal regulator but declined to provide further details. The White House has not offered additional comment on the matter.