Warren, Merkley Press White House for Answers on Insider Trading Scandal Involving Trump Teleprompter Aide

Senators seek answers on alleged misuse of nonpublic information, the seemingly lack of effective White House ethics safeguards, and potential conflicts of interest involving the President's family

"Since President Trump took office, the White House appears to have become consumed by a culture of corruption and greed that has placed personal financial interests ahead of the public interest."

Text of Letter (PDF)

Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) pressed the White House Counsel for answers following the allegations that a former Trump aide and teleprompter operator used advance knowledge of President Donald Trump's speeches to profit from bets on prediction markets. The senators criticized the administration's seeming failure to take meaningful action to address ethics concerns. The letter demands information on steps the White House is taking to prevent White House employees from abusing their positions for personal financial gain.

"Since President Trump took office, the White House appears to have become consumed by a culture of corruption and greed that has placed personal financial interests ahead of the public interest," wrote the senators.

The senators highlighted the White House's failure to take any publicly known, meaningful steps to strengthen its practices and policies in response to the allegations against the Trump aide, despite the potential for abuse of nonpublic government information by others. In July 2026, reports revealed that Trump's longtime teleprompter operator and a former deputy assistant to the president allegedly used advance knowledge of Trump's speeches to place bets on Kalshi. The Commodity Futures Trading Commission reached a settlement with Perez requiring him to pay $173,539 in monetary penalties and barring him from trading for three years.

"More action is required-from the President, from you, and from other White House officials-to provide the public with confidence in the integrity of the federal government under President Trump," continued the senators.

The senators also raised concerns about potential conflicts of interest between the President's family and prediction-market companies. Donald Trump Jr. has held advisory roles and financial interests connected to prediction-market platforms, raising questions about the need for strong ethics safeguards and confidence in impartial federal oversight.

The senators requested answers by November 23, 2026, to determine what additional safeguards are needed to prevent abuses of power, strengthen ethics enforcement, and protect the public's trust in government.

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