FBI reportedly raids home of Polymarket CEO after betting platform predicted Trump win

The FBI reportedly raided the Manhattan home of Polymarket CEO Shayne Coplan early Wednesday morning after the election betting platform correctly predicted Donald Trump’s victory in the 2024 presidential race last week. 

A spokesperson for Polymarket called it “obvious political retribution by the outgoing administration against Polymarket for providing a market that correctly called the 2024 presidential election.” 

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The raid, as first reported by the New York Post, involved FBI agents seizing Coplan’s phone and other electronic devices while the 26-year-old CEO was at his SoHo apartment.

A few hours later, Coplan posted on X, writing a tongue-in-cheek, “new phone, who dis?”

Polymarket claims the platform operates as a transparent, public prediction market that allows people to better understand events like elections. 

The spokesperson emphasized in their statement that “Polymarket is a fully transparent prediction market that helps everyday people better understand the events that matter most to them, including elections. We charge no fees, take no trading positions, and allow observers from around the world to analyze all market data as a public good.”

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The FBI’s reported action against Coplan comes just a week after Polymarket correctly predicted Donald Trump’s presidential victory, with the platform showing Trump holding a 58.6% chance of winning on Election Day. 

Coplan himself suggested that the investigation might be politically motivated. 

“It’s discouraging that the current administration would seek a last-ditch effort to go after companies they deem to be associated with political opponents,” wrote Coplan on X. 

“We are deeply committed to being non-partisan, and today is no different, but the incumbents should do some self-reflecting and recognize that taking a more pro-business, pro-startup approach may be what would have changed their fate this election,” he added.

The platform has raised funds from high-profile investors including Peter Thiel’s Founders Fund, which invested around $70 million.

In the wake of the recent election, a French bettor with the alias Théo reportedly earned an $85 million profit through Trump bets on Polymarket, according to reporting from the Wall Street Journal.

“I have nothing more to add,” Théo wrote to The Wall Street Journal via email. “To be frank, I’m a bit tired of the whole thing – I’d like to fade back into my normal daily life.”

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The DOJ and Shayne Coplan did not immediately respond to FOX Business’ request for comment. 

The FBI declined to comment when reached by FOX Business.

What to know about President-elect Trump’s nominee to lead DHS

President-elect Trump announced Tuesday he had chosen South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem to lead the Department of Homeland Security, an agency that addresses border security, emergency relief and cybersecurity.

In his announcement Tuesday evening, Trump emphasized Noem’s moves as governor to send National Guard soldiers to the southern border in Texas, arguing she is “very strong” on border security.

“She will work closely with ‘Border Czar’ Tom Homan to secure the border and will guarantee that our American homeland is secure from our adversaries. I have known Kristi for years and have worked with her on a wide variety of projects. She will be a great part of our mission to make America safe again,” Trump said in a statement.

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Noem said she was “honored and humbled” by the selection.

“With Donald Trump, we will secure the border and restore safety to American communities so that families will again have the opportunity to pursue the American dream,” she said.

Noem, a former member of Congress, was elected governor of the state in 2018 and won re-election in 2022. She has three children with her husband, Byron.

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Noem’s selection came as a surprise to some political watchers, but a source familiar with the appointment told Fox News Digital Noem had set a precedent for other states by sending National Guard soldiers, rather than more generic assistance, to the border. She also brings experience of other parts of the agency’s mission.

Noem banned TikTok from state-owned devices in 2022, citing the company’s ties to China. Separately, Dakota State University has one of the top cyber units in the country, and cybersecurity is the fastest growing industry in South Dakota, an expansion encouraged by Noem. The governor’s website says the state has invested $90 million to equip DSU in expanding cyber programs and allowing high school students to take classes for college credit. The state said last year the sector has added thousands of jobs in a few years and grown by 25%.

Noem has in-depth experience with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) because the state has dealt with flooding, including in June when there were record-setting floods in the state. FEMA sparked controversy over its handling of hurricanes this year and is likely to be under significant scrutiny in the months and years ahead.

With respect to border security, Noem has backed a pause on accepting migrants from terrorist hot spots. As governor, she pledged in 2021 not to take any more migrants from the Biden administration. She is particularly in line with President-elect Trump on border security and prioritizing national security and public safety threats for deportations, a source noted to Fox News Digital.

“My message to illegal immigrants is — Call me when you’re an American,” she said on Facebook in 2021. 

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Noem briefly sparked controversy this year when she revealed in a memoir she had shot and killed a family dog that she said had become a danger to people. 

While her appointment was a surprise to some, she has received backing from major figures, including former acting DHS Secretary Chad Wolf.

“Gov. Noem is a fantastic pick,” he said. “She has been a successful governor and has been forward-leaning and helping to support the Border security mission with her National Guard. She also has extensive experience working with FEMA on natural disasters. I’m certain she will succeed.”

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, who has been on the front lines of the crisis, said it was an “excellent selection.”

“Governor Noem is a border hawk who has worked with me to secure the Texas border,” he said on X.

“She has a no nonsense, rule of law approach, that will repair America from the carnage caused by Biden‘s open border policies.”

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The pick follows a number of other hawkish appointments to Trump’s administration. This week, he announced former Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Director Tom Homan will be the “border czar.”

On Wednesday, Trump officially announced that Stephen Miller, who spearheaded many immigration policies in Trump’s first term, will serve as assistant to the president and deputy chief of staff for policy and homeland security adviser. 

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Joe Rogan details Harris camp’s ‘hilarious’ requirements for potential interview

Podcast host Joe Rogan suggested during his podcast on Tuesday that Vice President Kamala Harris put a condition on a possible interview with the podcaster about avoiding “marijuana legalization” talk. 

“They had, I don’t know how many conversations with my folks, but multiple conversations giving different dates, different times, different this, different that, and we knew that she was going to be in Texas, so I said, ‘open invitation,'” Rogan said. “I think they had requirements on things that she didn’t want to talk about, she didn’t want to talk about marijuana legalization, which I thought was hilarious.”

The Harris campaign had been in talks with Rogan about doing an interview, but it didn’t end up happening. Rogan revealed that Harris wanted him to travel to Washington, D.C., to do the interview and only wanted to do an hourlong sit-down. 

Rogan’s guest, Adrienne Iapalucci, asked Rogan why Harris might have wanted to avoid the subject.

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“Because of her prosecuting record,” Rogan said. “She put a lot of people in jail for weed.”

During another episode of the podcast on Friday, Rogan also noted there were conditions the campaign put on the interview. 

“There were a few restrictions of things they didn’t want to talk about, but I said, ‘I don’t give a f—, get her in here.’ Like, whatever you want to talk about,” he said.

Rogan repeatedly expressed interest in interviewing Harris and hoped the VP would sit down with him while she was in Texas. 

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Rogan sat down with President-elect Trump for a three-hour conversation ahead of the election that earned more than 36 million views on YouTube. 

Rogan also ended up endorsing Trump on the eve of Election Day. He told his guest on Tuesday that Harris was a “bad candidate.”

He also suggested the campaign was “chaotic,” and said the vice president wasn’t good in unscripted situations. 

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“I don’t know if she’s good at running things because you’d have to be behind the scenes to see how that works, but when it comes to talking off the top of her head, what she’s good at is a pre-rehearsed speech that she reads off a teleprompter. Pretty solid,” he said.

Gaetz resigns from Congress ‘immediately’ after AG nomination, Johnson says

Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., resigned from the House of Representatives on Wednesday, Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., announced.

Gaetz gave House GOP leaders his resignation notice on the same day President-elect Donald Trump tapped him to be his attorney general, Johnson said.

“I think out of deference to us, he issued his resignation letter effective immediately,” Johnson said. “That caught us by surprise a little bit. But I asked him what the reasoning was, and he said, well, you can’t have too many absences.”

The speaker pointed out that Florida state law gave the governor “about an eight-week period” to fill a House vacancy and that by doing so, “we may be able to fill that seat as early as Jan. 3.”

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Johnson said he’s already in contact with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis on the matter.

Speaking with reporters after internal House GOP leadership elections, Johnson said Trump had informed him about his decision to tap Gaetz for the Department of Justice (DOJ) earlier on Wednesday morning.

He’s the third House Republican Trump has tapped for his new administration, after picking Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., to be U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and Rep. Mike Waltz, R-Fla., for National Security Adviser (NSA).

Trump’s two earlier selections prompted concerns about thinning out an already-meager likely majority for the House GOP in the 119th Congress.

But Gaetz resigning early likely alleviates some of those concerns.

However, out of the three House members chosen, Gaetz likely faces the highest hurdle to get the job.

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The NSA role is not Senate confirmed, and Stefanik’s appointment already received bipartisan praise.

But multiple Republican senators have already signaled they have some heartburn over Gaetz, an outspoken bomb-thrower who was previously under a yearlong DOJ investigation stemming from accusations he had a sexual relationship with a minor. The DOJ ultimately did not press charges.

“He will never get confirmed,” a Republican senator, granted anonymity to speak freely, told Fox News Digital. 

One Senate Republican source simply said, “Ain’t gonna happen,” about the prospect of Gaetz’s confirmation. 

The announcement came during House Republicans’ leadership elections. One lawmaker told Fox News Digital there were “audible gasps” in the room when the news broke.

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When nominating him, however, Trump lauded Gaetz as “a deeply gifted and tenacious attorney” who “will end Weaponized Government, protect our Borders, dismantle Criminal Organizations and restore Americans’ badly-shattered Faith and Confidence in the Justice Department.”

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House GOP leaders including House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., similarly praised the appointment.

Fox News Digital reached out to Gaetz to confirm his resignation.