Kalshi, a prediction market platform, is investigating questionable trades tied to the selection of President Donald Trump’s new White House press secretary.
A spokeswoman for the company confirmed to media Friday that Kalshi was taking a closer look at trades that predicted that conservative media commentator Katie Zacharia would replace Karoline Leavitt as Trump’s White House press secretary.
According to a new report from the Wall Street Journal, which first reported Kalshi’s plan to investigate, three small bets were placed before Zacharia’s appointment made headlines, positioning the users to make thousands in profit.
It’s said one bet of $19 was placed around 10:43 p.m. Thursday evening. The bettor stands to be paid out $1,896. Additionally, bets of $74 an $80 were made at 1:41 p.m. Friday – Zacharia’s appointment broke at around 2 p.m. ET that same day. These two bets are slated to received $3,689 and $4,023, respectively, in payouts.
The successful bets have sparked scrutiny due to the fact that Zacharia had a 1% likelihood of being named press secretary on the platform leading up to the news.
Not to mention, back in July, teleprompter operator Gabriel Perez was fired from the White House after he nabbed $100,000 in profits from placing bets on Trump’s speeches. Perez later reached a settlement agreement with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission in August.
As for Zacharia, Trump confirmed on Truth Social Friday that the conservative personality would join his staff, writing, “She has an unblemished record of support, and has been a loyal and brilliant supporter, right from the beginning. She is, likewise, a devoted fan and member of MAGA!”
“I am confident that Katie will deliver strong results for our Country as the next White House Press Secretary, as she has the respect of, and will work fantastically with, the Media, the American People, and my Administration,” he continued. “Katie is replacing the fabulous Karoline Leavitt, who did a fantastic job as Press Secretary.”
Prior to her press secretary appointment, Zacharia served as the senior communications adviser for Truth Social, as well as its parent company, Trump Media & Technology Group. Additionally, earlier this year, Zacharia served as a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security.
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