Trump teleprompter operator accused over Kalshi bets leaves government
Gabriel Perez, the White House teleprompter operator accused of profiting from Kalshi prediction-market bets tied to President Donald Trump’s speeches, is no longer employed by the federal government, according to AP. The case matters because the allegations center on using nonpublic information to trade on market-moving events.
Key Takeaways
- The teleprompter operator accused in the Kalshi betting case is reportedly no longer working for the federal government.
- AP reports Perez had been placed on unpaid leave earlier in the month.
- Kalshi’s surveillance team flagged suspicious activity and referred it to the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission.
- The platform prohibits trading on information obtained through employment.
- Broader crypto markets are also volatile, with Bitcoin ETF outflows and renewed focus on stablecoin use in payments.
Who is the trump teleprompter operator accused, and what changed?
Gabriel Perez—described by AP as a White House teleprompter operator—was accused of profiting from Kalshi bets tied to President Donald Trump’s speeches. AP reports that he is no longer employed by the federal government.
According to an unnamed White House official cited by AP, Perez had been placed on unpaid leave earlier this month. The official declined to say whether Perez resigned or was fired.
What were the Kalshi bets allegations about?
AP says Perez was accused of using nonpublic information to make more than $100,000 betting on Kalshi prediction markets tied to Trump’s speeches. The allegation is that the trading benefited from inside knowledge.
Kalshi’s surveillance team detected the suspicious trading activity and referred the matter to the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission. Kalshi also notes that the platform prohibits users from trading on information obtained through their employment.
External context on the regulator involved is available from the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission.
Why does this matter for prediction markets?
Prediction markets depend on confidence that trading reflects publicly available information, not confidential access tied to a job. AP’s reporting—along with Kalshi’s referral to the CFTC—spotlights how regulators and exchanges may respond when potential insider-information concerns surface.
It also raises the stakes for anyone watching the overlap between politics and finance, where timing and event access can become central to compliance questions.
How are crypto markets moving alongside the news?
In parallel, crypto markets are showing renewed caution. Cointelegraph reports that US spot Bitcoin ETFs recorded four straight sessions of outflows totaling about $526 million.
At the time of publication, Bitcoin was trading around $64,371 after failing to hold $65,000, with one report noting it briefly dropped to about $63,100. Cointelegraph also cites SoSoValue data showing withdrawals of about $49.8 million, while the largest withdrawals were on July 24 (about $240 million) and July 23 (about $225 million).
What does the UK stablecoin sprint suggest about payments?
The UK also continues moving on stablecoin policy. Cointelegraph reports that the Financial Conduct Authority’s Stablecoin Sprint concluded cross-border payments are stablecoins’ clearest near-term use case.
Participants in the sprint said stablecoins could offer the biggest advantages in emerging markets with limited access to US dollars, while domestic UK retail adoption is expected to remain limited. The FCA’s findings also informed June 30 final rules requiring UK-issued stablecoins to be fully backed by reserve assets and redeemable at par.
For more stories like this, see the Fintech & Crypto Alerts hub.