President Donald Trump’s longtime teleprompter operator Gabriel Perez, who’s under investigation for potential insider trading, has been put on administrative leave “without pay” and “will now no longer be working at the White House,” press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Thursday.
“Obviously, I’m aware of the report, the president is too. I spoke with him about it,” Leavitt said during Thursday’s press briefing. “He believes it’s deeply unfortunate, and frankly, a disgrace.”
CNN reported earlier Thursday that Perez made trades on the prediction site Kalshi that were flagged for possible insider activity.
The trades were on “mention markets,” where users can bet on the words and phrases that public figures, including Trump, will say at speeches and events.
The White House was not aware that Perez was placing bets on the president’s remarks for months, according to Leavitt. And she said she was not aware of any other White House staffers using their access to sensitive information to make a profit on prediction markets.
“Not to my knowledge, not that I’ve been made aware of. And as you saw, I think this played out exactly how it should,” Leavitt said.
“Kalshi notified the (Commodity Futures Trading Commission) of suspicious activity, they investigated that, identified the individual, and he will now no longer be working at the White House. So, I think that answers all the questions on this matter.”
