A White House teleprompter operator has departed his post following allegations that he used inside knowledge to bet on President Donald Trump's speeches. A White House official confirmed Tuesday that Gabriel Perez "no longer works in the federal government." The official, who was not authorized to comment publicly on the personnel matter and spoke on the condition of anonymity, did not specify whether Perez resigned or was terminated.
Earlier this month, the White House confirmed Perez had been placed on unpaid leave after reports emerged that he had won more than $100,000 by betting on phrases and words that would appear in the president's major speeches, including the State of the Union address. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt described the reports as "deeply unfortunate and, frankly, a disgrace."
The online prediction market where the alleged betting took place, Kalshi, flagged and investigated the trades. Robert Denault, Kalshi's lawyer and head of enforcement, stated on X that the company's surveillance team promptly flagged, investigated, and referred these trades to the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission, which holds regulatory authority over such matters. Kalshi has since begun requiring users to disclose their place of employment and prohibits betting based on job-related information.