Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth suddenly found himself in the crosshairs of his own party as Republicans scrambled to explain their bruising election-night defeat.
CNN anchor Kaitlan Collins reported Wednesday on "a growing campaign behind the scenes to try to make him the fall guy for last night's Republican losses." Collins said the losses were being pinned on the unpopularity of the ongoing Iran war.
She pointed to a lengthy social media post from Vice President JD Vance, who she noted "wouldn't call it a war" when she asked him in September.
"The reason we lost is the war. The president himself said so last night," Vance posted. "If you'd like to argue it was worth it, that losing the Senate for the next six years was worth it, then do so."
Collins noted the post did not mention Hegseth, whom the White House calls the "Secretary of War."
CNN White House correspondent Kristen Holmes said "this backlash against Pete Hegseth is growing," describing "a real snowball effect."
Holmes explained that Trump allies had already been speculating that Hegseth "was going to be the one that took the blame." Now, she said, "this behind-the-scenes finger-pointing" has "extended out to Capitol Hill."
Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) told CNN reporters Sarah Ferris and Adam Cancryn he plans to trigger a vote to impeach Hegseth once Congress returns next week.
Holmes said "several GOP sources" now believe the effort will pass. "Republicans on Capitol Hill are turning against Hegseth incredibly quickly," she added.
According to those sources, Hegseth was "the chief cheerleader in pushing President Trump to go into Iran without any kind of exit strategy." They also accused him of misrepresenting to Trump and lawmakers "what the U.S. was capable of."
Holmes suggested Republicans appear to be "getting that green light" from the Trump administration, with "dozens of Republicans" now "really turning on him very quickly."
Still, Holmes cautioned that Trump "likes him as a person" and that the White House "really bristled at any idea that Hegseth was in trouble." Just two days earlier, she reported, Trump was privately praising Hegseth as "his best guy."
"So we're going to have to see how this plays out and how Trump either sticks to Hegseth or decides maybe he cuts him loose," Holmes said.