Trump teleprompter operator out of job after speech-betting scandal: report
Gabriel Perez, President Donald Trump's longtime teleprompter operator, has lost his government job following an investigation into insider betting on the president's speeches.
Perez earned a salary of $175,000 as "deputy assistant to the president and technical advisor," according to The Independent.
He allegedly used his advance knowledge of Trump's speeches to place bets on Kalshi — a prediction market website where users wager on specific words a speaker will use — winning more than $100,000.
A White House official told The Independent that Perez "no longer works in the federal government." The official did not say whether he was fired or resigned. Julia Manchester of The Hill reported the departure Monday.
The scandal broke earlier this month when ABC News reported that Kalshi's surveillance team had flagged the trades and referred them to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, the federal agency that regulates such markets.
"Deeply unfortunate and frankly a disgrace," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said of the allegations at the time.
"I have a guy, Gabe," Trump told a campaign crowd in Reno, Nevada, in 2024. "… He's excellent."
Perez is one of only a handful of aides who sees the president's remarks before they are delivered, The Independent reported.
Federal prosecutors in Manhattan declined to open a criminal case, according to The Independent. A settlement would reportedly require Perez to return his winnings and stop placing similar bets.
The White House Management Office sent a memo to all staff in March — months before the Perez story broke — warning employees against using nonpublic information for personal financial gain, The Independent reported.
"I think this played out exactly how it should," Leavitt told reporters.