Story perspectives

White House Aide Suspended Over $100K Trump Speech Bet

7/17/2026

Summary

Perez Suspended

Gabriel Perez, White House deputy assistant, was placed on leave after regulators flagged $100,000-plus profit from prediction-market bets on President Donald Trump’s speeches.
Kalshi reported the activity to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, which froze about $90,000 of his earnings and barred him from betting.
Perez, a $175,000-salary employee who runs Trump’s teleprompter, is cooperating with investigators as settlement talks begin, while the White House calls the conduct a disgrace.

Summary

Kalshi Mandates Disclosure

Kalshi will require employment disclosure for mention market contracts and open a whistle-blower portal.
Enforcement head Robert DeNault said the surveillance team flagged the trades and gave the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) evidence from its internal probe.
Mention markets have drawn CFTC scrutiny for insider-trading risks, a pattern reflected in recent probes—a soldier’s bet on Nicolás Maduro’s capture and a June inquiry into former Rep. George Santos—of prediction-market abuse.

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Perez Suspended

Gabriel Perez, White House deputy assistant, was placed on leave after regulators flagged $100,000-plus profit from prediction-market bets on President Donald Trump’s speeches.
Kalshi reported the activity to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, which froze about $90,000 of his earnings and barred him from betting.
Perez, a $175,000-salary employee who runs Trump’s teleprompter, is cooperating with investigators as settlement talks begin, while the White House calls the conduct a disgrace.

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