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White House suspends teleprompter operator over alleged prediction market bets on Trump's speeches
via Punch Nigeria1 min read
The White House has placed a long-serving teleprompter operator for President Donald Trump on unpaid administrative leave. This action follows allegations that the employee, identified by ABC News as Gabriel Perez, used advance knowledge of the president's speeches to earn over $100,000 through prediction market bets. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed the decision, stating the employee "will no longer be here" and described the situation as "deeply unfortunate" and "a disgrace." Kalshi, the prediction market platform, also confirmed it flagged suspicious trading activity related to Trump's speeches and referred the matter to federal regulators, including the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. Kalshi's Head of Enforcement and Legal Counsel, Robert DeNault, stated the company cooperated with regulators by providing all evidence from its internal review. Perez is reportedly in discussions with the CFTC regarding allegations of placing wagers on whether Trump would use specific words, phrases, or discuss certain topics in numerous speeches, including his State of the Union address and remarks at the World Economic Forum.
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