Senators Elizabeth Warren and Jeff Merkley are asking the White House to explain how it responded to a case involving a staff member accused of using nonpublic information to place bets on a prediction market. Their request follows enforcement action against a White House employee who allegedly traded after reviewing presidential remarks in advance.

The lawmakers are also seeking broader assurances that similar conduct has not happened elsewhere inside the administration. They want details on any additional violations, what safeguards are now in place, and whether staff have been trained on the handling of sensitive information.

Case centers on presidential speech access

The scrutiny stems from the conduct of Gabriel Perez, a White House teleprompter operator. According to the case cited by the senators, Perez reviewed speeches by President Donald Trump before they were delivered and then placed trades on Kalshi tied to whether certain words would appear in those remarks.

In August, the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission fined Perez more than $172,000. The allegation was that he used advance access to the speeches, which were not yet public, to profit from prediction-market bets.

Senators seek fuller accounting from White House

Warren and Merkley said the Perez matter raises wider questions about the use of nonpublic information by government personnel. They asked the White House to say whether any other staff members had used confidential or advance information to profit through betting or trading.

Their inquiry also seeks an explanation of what the administration has done since the case came to light. The senators want to know not only whether further violations were identified, but also what procedures now exist to reduce the risk of a repeat.

Focus on ethics controls and staff training

A central part of the senators’ request concerns internal safeguards. They asked whether White House employees have received training on how to handle nonpublic information and what restrictions apply when that information could be used for personal gain.

The lawmakers argued that warning memos by themselves are not a sufficient response. In their view, the White House should adopt more concrete protections, including mandatory training, to strengthen ethics compliance and deter future misuse of sensitive material.

What happens next

The immediate next step is whether the White House provides the details Warren and Merkley requested on additional violations and any reforms already adopted. Their letter frames the Perez case as more than a single enforcement matter, instead presenting it as a test of whether existing safeguards around sensitive government information are strong enough.

For now, the confirmed facts are limited to the CFTC’s August fine against Perez, the allegation that he bet on Kalshi using advance access to Trump’s speeches, and the senators’ demand for stronger preventive measures inside the White House.

Source: en.bloomingbit.io