White House press secretary returns, announces aide removal

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt returned to the briefing room podium on Thursday for the first time since taking maternity leave, announcing that a presidential aide is no longer working at the White House after an investigation found he used inside knowledge to bet on President Donald Trump’s speeches.

Leavitt told reporters that Gabriel Perez, who operated Trump’s teleprompter for years, won more than $100,000 by wagering on specific words the president would use in more than a dozen speeches this year. The prediction platform Kalshi notified the Commodity Futures Trading Commission of suspicious activity on Perez’s account, and Perez has cooperated with the investigation. Leavitt initially said Perez was on paid administrative leave before clarifying he is no longer being paid by the administration. She said Trump described Perez’s behavior as “deeply unfortunate and frankly a disgrace,” and added that the matter “played out exactly how it should.”

Leavitt’s briefing also touched on Trump’s scheduled address to the nation on Thursday evening, which she said would focus on election security. She described the speech as a “very big announcement” and expressed...