Former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley ripped into former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo for saying that she coordinated with senior Trump aides to oust Mike Pence as vice president and have her replace him.

In a new book from Pompeo, Trump’s secretary of state writes:

“I received a call one evening from John Kelly, chief of staff, who apologized for allowing ambassador Haley to go to the Oval Office. She had gone — not gone in for a personal matter but rather had entered the oval office with the president’s daughter, Ivanka and her husband, Jared. As best Kelly could tell, they were presenting a possible ‘Haley for vice president’ option … He was certain he had been played.”

Haley and Pompeo have both been signaling that they plan on running for president in 2024, and their spat is the first in what will likely be many jousts between potential top-tier candidates.

“Is that true?” Fox News host Bret Baier asked Haley on his show. “Were you trying to get Mike pence off of that ticket?”

“No,” said Haley. “And, you know, Pompeo even says he is not sure if it’s true. I never had a conversation with Jared, Ivanka, or the president about the vice presidentship.”

“What I will tell you is it’s really sad when you are having to go out there and put lies and gossip to sell a book,” she added. “I don’t know why he said it, but that’s exactly why I stayed out of D.C. As much as possible to get away from the drama and get away from the gossip. I focused on my job, and that’s what I always did.”

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)