US senator asks White House to respond to former aide's prediction market betting ethics issue

Democratic Senators Elizabeth Warren and Jeff Merkley sent a letter to the White House counsel demanding answers over a former teleprompter operator who allegedly used non-public information to bet on prediction markets, questioning whether other staffers have done the same and whether ethics training exists. The letter follows an August CFTC order requiring Gabriel Perez to pay more than $172,000 after he allegedly read Trump's prepared remarks ahead of a speech and traded on Kalshi's related prediction markets. The White House has not yet responded to requests for comment. The dispute matters because it tests how insider-information rules apply to fast-growing event-contract venues such as Kalshi as federal scrutiny of the sector intensifies. Watch for the White House's formal reply and whether it triggers broader training or disclosure requirements for staff trading on prediction platforms.