Trump officials knife Nikki Haley after she paints herself as one of the president's staunchest defenders

Former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley over the weekend tried to depict herself as a staunch defender of President Donald Trump who was protecting him from the machinations of disloyal administration officials who wanted to undermine his authority.

However, multiple Trump officials have contacted the New York Times' Maggie Haberman to dispute Haley's claim to have been firmly in the president's corner during her time in the administration.

"[I] have gotten calls from three administration officials taking issue with Haley’s description of herself as both stalwart defender of Trump and concerned aide," Haberman revealed on Twitter. "One described her as 'scarce' during her tenure."

Georgetown Law professor Carrie Cordero then asked Haberman to describe what she meant by "scarce" -- and the New York Times reporter confirmed that Haley was seen as a "non-player" in the administration who was "just around for the photo ops."