Vice President JD Vance came under fire Monday after claiming he was unaware of reported military failures surrounding a deadly Iranian attack that killed six American service members. The alarming admission left two prominent CNN commentators questioning whether he was being truthful or simply uninformed.
The criticism erupted during CNN’s “The Arena,” when host Kasie Hunt played footage of Vance responding to a widower who lost his wife in the war and demanded accountability from the Trump administration.
“This is literally the first time I’ve heard of this,” Vance told the man, acknowledging that information sometimes doesn’t reach him because he often finds himself “in a bit of a bubble” as vice president.
Conservative commentator S.E. Cupp was clearly stunned.
“That was an inexplicable answer,” Cupp said Monday. “It was either incredibly impolitic or breathtakingly shocking that the vice president isn’t aware of some of our failures in Iran.”
Cupp argued that the exchange reflected a larger disconnect between the administration and Americans concerned about the war and other pressing issues.
“The bubble that JD Vance talks about seems very real,” she said.
Former Obama strategist David Axelrod was equally taken aback. He pointed out that the attack and questions surrounding the troops’ protection had received extensive news coverage.
“This was very well known,” Axelrod said. “So either he was being disingenuous, or he's shockingly ill-informed for a guy who is the number two person in the United States government.”
Vance, meanwhile, acknowledged during the town hall that the military had learned lessons about protecting troops from drone attacks, but declined to disclose specific changes.