Kalshi investigates suspicious bets tied to Katie Zacharia appointment in Washington

Katie Zacharia is the subject of an internal trading inquiry in Washington after her White House appointment. Prediction market platform Kalshi is reviewing suspicious transactions placed shortly before President Donald Trump announced her new federal role.

The company confirmed that it is examining at least three trades placed on its platform. These bets occurred before news outlets reported the selection around 2 p.m., according to The Wall Street Journal.

Zacharia had a one percent chance of selection before the Friday announcement. A $19 bet placed Thursday evening is expected to pay out $1,896.

Two more bets of around $74 and $80 were placed at 1:41 p.m. on Friday. Those wagers are expected to pay out $3,689 and $4,023.

Zacharia succeeds former press secretary Karoline Leavitt. Leavitt left the role earlier this year after having a child. She works as a Fox News commentator.

Zacharia works as a conservative commentator. She is also a communications adviser to the media company owned by Trump.

She previously served as a spokesperson and deputy assistant secretary at the Department of Homeland Security. Trump praised her in a Friday post on Truth Social.

Trump described Zacharia as a devoted fan and member of MAGA. He released an official statement online.

“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.”

Staff actions have triggered financial penalties before in Washington. Teleprompter operator Gabriel Perez was removed from his job in July. The Commodity Futures Trading Commission fined Perez $172,000.

Perez had garnered over $100,000 in profits from Kalshi bets on presidential speeches. The White House referred questions about the current inquiry to the Truth Social post.

Prediction markets operate by letting users buy and trade contracts tied to real-world political and economic outcomes. Federal regulators review exchange activities to deter insider trading on government decisions.

The Hill reached out to Kalshi for comment.