White House teleprompter operator investigated over Kalshi trades

Left-leaning coverage reports a narrow but serious allegation: Gabriel Perez, Trump’s longtime White House teleprompter operator, is under CFTC scrutiny for allegedly using access to prepared remarks to win nearly $100,000 on Kalshi “mention markets,” where traders bet on whether Trump will say particular words. NPR gives the fullest version: it says regulators are in “settlement talks” with Perez, Kalshi detected “unusual betting,” froze about $90,000, banned him, and that a March White House memo warned staff that using nonpublic government information on Kalshi or Polymarket “is a criminal offense.” BBC carries some facts NPR does not: sources said Perez has been “fully cooperative” with the CFTC; ABC said federal prosecutors in Manhattan “declined to open a criminal case”; and Karoline Leavitt said he “would no longer work at the White House.” NPR instead says it is “not clear if the Department of Justice is examining the case” and describes him as “currently on unpaid administrative leave,” while also quoting Leavitt calling the alleged actions “a disgrace.” The outlets also frame the money slightly differently: NPR says Perez is “alleged to have made nearly $100,000” and that Kalshi froze “about $90,000 of Perez’s profits,” while BBC says the account was frozen “before any profits could be withdrawn.” NPR emphasizes the wider prediction-market ecosystem, including more than $800,000 already wagered on Trump’s Thursday address and examples involving an Army special forces soldier, a Google engineer, and George Santos; BBC keeps the focus tighter on Perez and Kalshi. Right-leaning outlets had not covered this as of publication, so their readers are missing both the allegation and the unresolved enforcement picture: if prosecutors declined a criminal case, what settlement terms, penalties, or employment consequences are actually on the table?