Under investigation Active regulatory matter, no public order
The CFTC is reported to be investigating a White House teleprompter operator over prediction-market bets on Trump's speeches
ABC and Reuters independently reported the civil matter; there is no public order and no criminal case.
Events: 2026-07-16 · Published 2026-07-21 · Last verified 2026-07-21 · Record claim-mt-teleprompter-cftc
ABC News identified Gabriel Perez, a Trump teleprompter operator since 2016, and reported — attributing sources familiar with the matter — that CFTC investigators believe he made more than $100,000 on Kalshi 'Mentions' markets using advance access to prepared speeches. Reuters independently reported that Kalshi flagged the activity and referred it to the CFTC, and that the White House placed Perez on unpaid administrative leave. ABC reported Perez was in settlement talks and that Manhattan federal prosecutors declined to open a criminal case.
What this establishes
- An active civil regulatory matter reported by two independent named outlets.
- That Reuters reported Kalshi flagged and referred the activity to the CFTC.
What this does not establish
- A final adjudication: no public CFTC order exists in reviewed sources.
- Criminal conduct: prosecutors reportedly declined to open a criminal investigation.
- Any involvement by other White House personnel.
Amounts
| What | Amount | Precision | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reported profits on Kalshi 'Mentions' markets (ABC, attributed to sources familiar with the matter) | ≥ $100,000 | reported minimum | ABC News |
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“Exact primary record” is reserved for a precise figure in a first-party record. Point estimates, minima, maxima, and ranges keep their own labels and should not be read as more precise than the cited source.
Public response on record
No public statement from Perez or his counsel was located in sources reviewed as of 2026-07-21. ABC reported he acknowledged some trades in the settlement process.
This records only whether a public response was located in a cited record as of the dated search note above. It is not a statement that this project contacted the subject.
Direct right-of-reply status
Direct outreach: not conducted by this project for this v0 record.
On the timeline
- 2026-07-16 Official acts CFTC probe of a White House teleprompter operator's prediction-market bets reported
Adjacency on a timeline shows order in time only. It does not establish that one event caused another.
Correction status
No corrections have been issued for this record. Corrections are append-only and listed on the corrections page.