White House teleprompter operator investigated for betting on Trump speech
A White House teleprompter operator is under investigation for allegedly placing bets on the content of President Trump's speeches.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
A White House teleprompter operator is under investigation for allegedly using inside information to place bets on the content of President Donald Trump's speeches. The operator, Gabriel Perez, has worked at the White House since 2016. Reports say he made more than $100,000 betting on the words and phrases Mr Trump would use during major public addresses, including the State of the Union speech.
The White House confirmed that Mr Perez has been placed on unpaid leave and will not return to work. The investigation focuses on whether he exploited his access to advance speech drafts or rehearsal details to gain an unfair advantage in betting markets. Such markets allow people to wager on specific phrases or topics a speaker will mention.
This case raises questions about security and ethics within the White House communications team. It is not yet known if any criminal charges will be filed. The investigation is ongoing.
On screen
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Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, mapped by channel. Ordered by how many channels carried each claim.
| Claim | BBC NEWS |
|---|---|
| White House teleprompter operator Gabriel Perez was investigated for betting on Trump's speech content and placed on unpaid leave. |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
BBC News reported the story in a straightforward, factual manner, focusing on the key details: the operator's name, his tenure, the amount of money involved, and the White House's response. The report was concise and did not include any editorial commentary or analysis. It also quickly moved on to an unrelated story about prostate cancer treatment, indicating this was treated as a brief news item.
- “The man who operates President Trump's teleprompter is being investigated for allegedly using inside information to place bets on the content of the president's speeches.”
- “The White House said Mr Perez had been placed on unpaid leave and would not be returning to work.”
Broadcast Timeline
News broadcasts tracked for this story, in time order.