The US Commodity Futures Trading Commission is investigating alleged illegal online betting involving White House teleprompter operator Gabriel Perez. The report was published by The Wall Street Journal.
According to the newspaper, Perez placed bets on Donald Trump’s speeches on the Kalshi platform and is believed to have earned about $100,000.
Kalshi launched its own internal review of Perez’s trades and froze his account, which reportedly still held about $90,000. The company then passed the findings of its inquiry to the federal regulator.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Perez had been suspended without pay.
According to Leavitt, Trump considers Perez’s actions “deeply regrettable and, frankly, shameful.”
The newspaper says the White House had already warned staff in March that using official duties to place bets on prediction markets was unacceptable. Officials were also reminded that government information cannot be used for personal gain.
The warning came amid the war with Iran and a wave of bets tied to that conflict. Earlier in the spring, US authorities also detained a special forces serviceman who had taken part in an operation to seize Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro while also betting on the outcome of that mission on the prediction exchange Polymarket.