Ivanka, Jared Kushner Plotted For Nikki Haley To Be Trump's VP, New Book Claims

Ivanka Trump and her husband, Jared Kushner, allegedly plotted with former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley for the latter to be named as Donald Trump's vice president even while she was serving as the ambassador to the United Nations, according to a book.

In his forthcoming book "Never Give an Inch," author and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that Haley secured a personal Oval Office meeting with Trump without checking with him. He also accused Haley of "playing" then-White House chief of staff John Kelly by showing up to a one-on-one meeting with Trump alongside Ivanka and Jared.

"As best Kelly could tell," Pompeo wrote, according to an excerpt obtained by The Guardian, "they were presenting a possible 'Haley for vice-president' option. 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."

Pompeo's claim was backed by Kellyanne Conway, former White House counselor to Trump, who said "there were people" in the administration that were "trying to get rid of" then-Vice President Mike Pence.

"That is true that there were people trying to get rid of Mike Pence off the ticket beginning in, like, 2018 or so," Conway told Fox News Radio, adding that the move was a "fool's errand."

Haley, however, dismissed Pompeo's claim and said the former state secretary is promoting "lies and gossip to sell a book." She also noted that even Pompeo himself said he could not confirm the authenticity of the story.

"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," she said.

Pompeo's story adds weight to previous reports claiming that Trump had considered dumping Pence for the 2020 campaign in favor of Haley. The rumors became widespread compelling Trump to deny that he planned to replace Pence as his running mate, adding that he "is our man 100 percent."

Pompeo's claim comes following Vanity Fair's report that Charles Kushner, Jared's father and Ivanka's father-in-law, hosted a fundraising event for Haley in New Jersey. The outlet also added that Charles predicted Haley would become "the first woman president."