Gabriel Perez, Trump’s teleprompter operator, under CFTC investigation for insider betting

Gabriel “Gabe” Perez, who has operated the White House teleprompter for President Donald Trump since the 2016 campaign, is under investigation by the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). Kalshi, a regulated prediction‑market platform, flagged suspicious activity on its “Mentions” market – where users bet on whether specific words will appear in a speech – and froze roughly $90,000 of profits before the funds could be withdrawn. The platform reported the activity to the CFTC, which alleges that Perez used advance knowledge of Trump’s prepared remarks to wager on more than a dozen speeches over a three‑month period, including the State of the Union, a World Economic Forum address and a Medal of Honor ceremony. He is reported to have earned between $90,000 and $100,000 from those bets.

The White House placed Perez on unpaid administrative leave and confirmed that President Trump called the incident “deeply regrettable” and “a disgrace.” Perez is said to be cooperating with federal regulators as the CFTC’s probe continues. The case has sparked broader discussion about ethical guidelines for government officials and the need for tighter oversight of prediction‑market trading.

No criminal charges have been announced, and the investigation remains ongoing.