WISDOM OF THE MARKETS:

Journalist Dan Bloom searched for utterances of "lodestar" by other senior Trump officials, such as White House chief-of-staff John Kelly and Defence Secretary James Mattis, but found nothing.

Mr Pence by contrast had regularly been guided by lodestars, Mr Bloom found. They include "the first words of the UN charter 'to maintain international peace'" during a speech at the UN, an "unwavering belief in fundamental equality and dignity" at an awards dinner, "vigilance and resolve" alongside Japanese PM Shinzo Abe, a "balanced budget" in a 2011 address, and "established principles for sound analysis" in a 2001 comment.

Pence was listed at 2-to-3 odds on the site MyBookie as the fifth column official who claims to be working behind the scenes to stop some of Trump's policies that they find wrongheaded.

The biggest favorite, at 1-3 odds, is "the field," someone not listed among the 18 administration officials listed by the Costa Rica-based operation.

At 2-to-3 odds, a winning bettor investing $1 would profit 66 cents. At 1-to-3, a gambler wagering $1 would net 33 cents with a win.

"What tipped us off was 'lodestar,' " MyBookie head oddsmaker David Strauss said of Pence. "When you search members of the administration (who have used that word) only one name comes up - and that name is Mike Pence. He's used in multiple speeches this year."

The other 17 named potential moles, listed by MyBookie, are: Education Secretary Betsy Devos (2-to-1), Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (4-to-1), Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin (4-to-1), chief of staff John F. Kelly (4-to-1), Defense Secretary Jim Mattis (5-to-1), Attorney General Jeff Sessions (5-to-1), Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke (6-to-1), Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue (6-to-1), Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross (7-to-1) Labor Secretary Alex Acosta (7-to-1), HHS Secretary Alex Azar (8-to-1), HUD Secretary Ben Carson (8-to-1), VA Secretary Robert Wilkie (8-to-1), Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen (10-to-1), Ivanka Trump (12-to-1) and Jared Kushner (12-to-1).

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