Ex-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has alleged in his forthcoming book that Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner schemed to kick then-Vice President Mike Pence to the curb for the 2020 presidential election.
The excerpt, which was first revealed by The Guardian, claims that Nikki Haley, a former United Nations ambassador (and a former governor of South Carolina) had been presented as an alternative option.
Before resigning from the Trump administration in October of 2018, Haley had a private meeting with Trump in the Oval Office, he writes. According to Pompeo, John Kelly, who was Trump’s chief of staff at that time, believed Haley had her meeting with Trump while being accompanied by Ivanka and Kushner. It was during this meeting the three allegedly presented Haley as a possible “number two” to the president.
“As best Kelly could tell, they were presenting a possible ‘Haley for vice-president’ option,” Pompeo writes in his upcoming book Never Give an Inch. “I can’t confirm this, but [Kelly] was certain he had been played, and he was not happy about it. Clearly, this visit did not reflect a team effort but undermined our work for America.”
The story is just one way in which Pompeo hits out against the former ambassador. He also criticized her role as an ambassador to the UN, saying it’s a “job that is far less important than people think,” questioned her commitment to public service, and ridiculed her for resigning or, as he writes; “flat-out threw in the towel.”
In response to Pompeo’s claims, the former South Carolina governor dismissed the allegations as gossip and told Fox News that she “never had a conversation with Jared, Ivanka, or the president about the vice presidency.”
“What I’ll tell you is it’s really sad when you’re having to go out there and put lies and gossip to sell a book,” Haley said. “I don’t know why he said it but that’s exactly why I stayed out of DC as much as possible – to get away from the drama and get away from the gossip.”
The political dispute stretches beyond the scope of gossip, however, with both Haley and Pompeo teasing that they may run for the White House in 2024, with Haley even suggesting during her Fox News interview that she is prepared for a bruising 2024 Republican primary.
“I think we need a young generation to come in, step up and really start fixing things,” said Haley, who is 51-years-old. “Can I be that leader? Yes, I think I can be that leader.”
“May the best woman win,” she added.