Ex-White House Aide Settles Insider Trading Case Over Speech Bets
Former White House teleprompter operator Gabriel Perez settles CFTC charges, forfeiting profits and paying a fine for betting on Trump's speeches.
A former White House teleprompter operator has settled federal charges that he used confidential access to presidential speeches for financial gain. Gabriel Perez will forfeit $107,500 in profits and pay a $65,000 civil penalty as part of an agreement with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), announced on Friday.
The settlement also imposes a three-year ban on trading for Perez. The CFTC found that between December 2025 and February 2026, Perez placed bets on the prediction market Kalshi, wagering on specific words and phrases that would appear in President Donald Trump's public addresses.
According to the commission, Perez breached his duty of trust by misappropriating information he obtained through his position. The CFTC noted that the civil penalty was reduced from standard levels due to what it described as Perez's "exemplary cooperation" during the investigation.
Perez was placed on unpaid leave from the White House in July after reports surfaced about his trading activity. A White House official at the time confirmed he was no longer in his role but did not specify whether he had resigned or been dismissed. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt had earlier called the matter "unfortunate" and "a disgrace." The White House has not commented on the settlement itself.