Senators Padilla and Warner probe Kalshi and Polymarket influencer payments
Senators Padilla and Warner demanded answers from Kalshi and Polymarket regarding payments to influencers who spread election disinformation. The senators' inquiry targets whether the prediction market platforms compensate influencers whose content includes false or misleading claims about election fraud. Both platforms operate under CFTC designation. The inquiry was issued August 26. No response deadline was specified in available materials.
Congressional scrutiny of influencer payments turns marketing spend into a direct political liability for Kalshi and Polymarket. Both platforms now face parallel pressure from lawmakers over election integrity, wildfire contracts, and military insider trading. The senators tie influencer payments explicitly to disinformation spreading, making this harder to dismiss as routine marketing.
Any admission of compensation for election-fraud content would feed existing Democratic criticism of CFTC oversight. Polymarket already referred dozens of suspicious military accounts to DOJ. Each new inquiry compounds the case for tighter federal control. The platforms must either open their influencer contracts to Congress or stonewall and invite subpoenas. Neither option leaves their current marketing strategy intact.