Pence's comments shattered a "fragile unity" Pompeo had cobbled together for talks about Iran with US allies, The New York Times reported Sunday in a lengthy new profile of Pompeo's tenure at the US Department of State.
Publicly, the secretary kept silent. But behind closed doors, the story says, he raged at Pence's untimely message.
“Privately, Pompeo briefly erupted. Aides said he complained Pence had undermined diplomacy — which one European official said included near-agreement about imposing new sanctions on Iran's ballistic missile tests — and prompted fresh headlines about trans-Atlantic tensions,” the paper said.
It added, “Pompeo unfailingly sticks to the presidential line. For example, he publicly refuses to acknowledge the intelligence agencies' assessments — including those prepared by his former staff at the CIA — that contradict Trump” on matters like North Korea, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Daesh (ISIL or ISIS).
Trump has rewarded Pompeo's loyalty by anointing him the point person on several signature issues. Those include North Korea and Afghanistan, a subject on which one American official said Pompeo and Trump speak directly to each other, sidelining (National Security Adviser John) Bolton.