White House told staff not to use nonpublic information to trade or bet during Iran conflict

What did the White House email say?

According to CBS News, the email said recent press reports had raised concerns about officials using nonpublic government information to place wagers on online prediction markets such as Kalshi or Polymarket, and it warned that using such information to buy or sell those contracts is a criminal offense CBS News. Other outlets similarly reported that the message warned staff not to use confidential or nonpublic information for trades or bets BBC,Bloomberg Business.

Why was the warning sent at that time?

The email was sent after unusual, profitable trades and bets were reported around major announcements related to the Iran conflict, including activity shortly before Trump announced a pause in threatened attacks on Iranian energy infrastructure News18,Bloomberg Business,NY Post. Multiple reports say that scrutiny of those trades helped trigger the reminder to staff about ethics and insider-trading rules NYT,BBC.

Did the White House acknowledge the warning?

Yes. White House officials confirmed to several outlets that the email was sent, while spokesman Davis Ingle said any suggestion that administration officials engaged in improper trading without evidence was baseless and emphasized that federal ethics rules already prohibit using nonpublic information for personal gain BBC,CNBC,Hill.