'This is only going to escalate': CNN reporter explains why Trump's cabinet is now trying to 'emulate' him with unhinged attacks

Donald Trump's Interior Secretary, Ryan Zinke, attacked a Democratic lawmaker on Twitter today, calling him a drunk.

Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ), who will chair the Committee on Natural Resources that oversees Zinke, called him unfit to serve Friday in a USA Today op-ed.

“While the secretary continues to project confidence, questions have grown since the election about his future plans, and the White House reportedly fears that he would be unable to withstand scrutiny on Capitol Hill,” Grijalva wrote. “Those fears are justified. Mr. Zinke has never even tried to offer an explanation for the sheer scope of his well-documented scandals.”

On Friday afternoon, Zinke unloaded on Grijalva via Twitter.

“It’s hard for him to think straight from the bottom of a bottle,” Zinke tweeted.

What's up with this dynamic? And why are other Trump cabinet members also picking fights with the lawmakers who will oversee them?

CNN's Jake Tapper asked reporter Lauren Fox why Zinke was acting this way.

"Zinke's response was very Trumpian," Tapper said. "Mock a critic's alcohol dependency issue."

"This may not be a coincidence," she said, noting the pressure he's under. "Moving forward, it's very clear, Zinke wants to impress President Trump. He wants to show he's going to be able to handle the spotlight come January when Democrats take the House."

"This is only going to escalate," as cabinet members like Zinke are called to Congress, Fox said. "Expect more of this, and a lot more cabinet secretaries try to emulate Trump as they try to defend themselves and his administration."

Watch below.