Ex-White House Aide Penalized for Kalshi Insider Trading

The supplied content does not include the body of the Associated Press article. Instead, it consists almost entirely of AP News navigation menus, section labels, newsletter promotions, unrelated headlines, and other site elements. The only article-specific information available is the title, “Ex-White House staffer penalized for insider trading,” and a related Politics headline stating that a “Former White House teleprompter operator” was ordered to turn over profits and pay a fine over insider trading. The URL also contains a reference to Kalshi, suggesting that the article may concern trading or prediction-market activity, but the provided text does not explain Kalshi’s role or establish the details of the alleged transactions. Based on the available headline information, the article concerns disciplinary or legal action against a former White House staff member who allegedly engaged in insider trading. The reported consequences include disgorgement or repayment of trading profits and the payment of an additional financial penalty. However, the extract does not identify the staffer, the government agency or court imposing the penalty, the amount of money involved, the information allegedly used, the dates of the trades, or whether the individual admitted wrongdoing or contested the action. Because the substantive article text is missing, no reliable account can be provided of the evidence, investigative process, regulatory findings, responses from the former staffer or their attorneys, or broader implications for government ethics and prediction-market trading. The assessment below is therefore limited to the wording of the headline and the single related headline included in the supplied page text.

Former White House teleprompter operator Gabriel Perez has been ordered by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) to pay more than $172,000 after using confidential information about Donald Trump’s upcoming speeches to place bets on Kalshi, a prediction-markets platform. The bets concerned whether Trump would use particular words or phrases during presidential addresses between December 2025 and February 2026. Under a settlement announced by the CFTC, Perez must surrender $107,539.02 in profits and pay a $65,000 civil penalty. He has also been prohibited from trading for three years. The regulator said Perez had “misappropriated” prior knowledge of Trump’s speeches, violating his duty of trust and confidence. The penalty was reduced because of his “exemplary co-operation” with the investigation. Perez was reportedly placed on unpaid leave in July, and then-White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said he would not return to his position. The White House has not commented on the settlement. Kalshi’s analysts identified unusual betting activity in March involving “mention markets,” which allow users to predict whether public figures will say specific words, countries or campaign slogans. The company said it used account data to identify the bettor as a federal employee who operated White House teleprompters, and then reported the activity to the CFTC. Kalshi’s lead lawyer, Bobby DeNault, said the ruling demonstrated that anyone violating the company’s rules or federal law would face consequences. The case has also prompted broader concern about officials trading on information that could affect financial markets. Kalshi said statements by political leaders, including presidents and Federal Reserve chairs, can move foreign exchange, oil futures and stock markets. In July, the White House Management Office reportedly instructed aides not to bet on prediction markets.

Former White House teleprompter operator Gabriel Perez has agreed to surrender more than US$100,000 in trading profits and pay a US$65,000 civil penalty after federal authorities accused him of using inside knowledge to bet on President Donald Trump’s speeches. The settlement with the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) also imposes a three-year ban on Perez trading in the relevant markets. According to the CFTC, Perez traded presidential “mention market” contracts on the prediction-market platform Kalshi between December 2025 and February 2026, while he was working at the White House. These event contracts pay out based on whether a president says particular words or phrases during speeches. The article’s subheadline says Perez earned US$107,500 from such bets. Reports about his trading led the White House to place Perez on unpaid leave. By July, a White House official confirmed that Perez was no longer in his position but did not clarify whether he had been dismissed or had resigned. The White House had not immediately commented on the settlement when the article was published. The case highlights concerns about conflicts of interest and the use of non-public workplace information in rapidly expanding prediction markets. As a teleprompter operator, Perez could potentially have had advance access to language planned for presidential remarks, giving him an advantage when wagering on which words Trump would use. The settlement resolves the CFTC’s action without additional details in the article about Perez’s admission or denial of wrongdoing. It also underscores federal regulators’ willingness to impose financial penalties, disgorgement of alleged winnings, and trading restrictions in cases involving suspected misuse of inside information.

The US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has ordered former White House teleprompter operator Gabriel Perez to pay US$172,539 (S$220,000) over illegal trading linked to advance access to President Donald Trump’s speeches. Under a settlement announced on Aug 28, Perez must repay US$107,539.02 in trading profits and pay a US$65,000 civil penalty. The CFTC said Perez traded presidential “mention market” contracts on the prediction-market platform Kalshi between December 2025 and February 2026, while he was working at the White House. These event contracts pay out according to whether a president uses specified words or phrases in a speech. According to the agency, Perez had access to Trump’s speeches before they were delivered and used the confidential information to trade for personal gain. In addition to the financial penalties, Perez agreed to a three-year trading ban and promised to cease and desist from further violations of the Commodity Exchange Act and CFTC regulations. He could not immediately be reached for comment. The article says he was placed on unpaid leave and is no longer employed by the federal government. The CFTC said the civil penalty was substantially reduced because of Perez’s “exemplary cooperation” with its investigation. The agency also credited KalshiEX with assisting in the matter. The case highlights regulatory scrutiny of prediction markets and the risks of using non-public government information to trade contracts tied to political speech. The report was published by Reuters in The Straits Times.