It was pretty desperate. Newt talked up his importance to the campaign and brought himself up in interviews as the likely choice for VP or Chief of Staff multiple times.
He preened himself throughout the campaign but especially before the VP pick was announced and was quite sharp when he wasn’t chosen. I agree, his actions support your theory. He is a Globalist and would be working toward his own ends, not hesitating to backstab.
If nothing else, why would the guy who successfully defeated the Clintons take advice from the guy who failed miserably at it, whose failure directly resulted in another two decades of Clintonism?