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DOJ's new fraud division faces internal strife, stalled investigations

The Justice Department's National Fraud Enforcement Division, established earlier this year under President Trump and championed by Vice President JD Vance, is struggling to produce new cases amid an internal turf war, recruitment shortfalls, and White House dissatisfaction with its output.

White House probe finds it can't track staff bets on prediction markets

Illustration accompanying article: White House probe finds it can't track staff bets on prediction markets
  • The White House Counsel's Office investigated anonymous Polymarket accounts that bet over $600,000 on a U.S.-Iran ceasefire announcement and concluded it could not determine whether administration officials were behind the wagers, according to people familiar with the matter.
  • Trump teleprompter operator Gabriel Perez is under CFTC investigation for making over $100,000 in wagers based on early access to presidential speeches, the White House confirmed this week.
  • Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R., Fla.) allegedly told influencer Rogan O'Handley that Trump would pick JD Vance as his running mate so he could place a winning bet on Polymarket, according to a person familiar with the conversation; both denied wrongdoing.
  • A former investment banker said he placed a $900 bet on Vance after receiving a tip from a Heritage Foundation research associate, who now works as a White House policy adviser.
  • The Senate passed a resolution in April banning senators and their staff from betting on prediction markets, and the House Oversight Committee has launched an investigation into potential insider trading.
 2026-07-18 · 5 MIN READ