Tulsi Gabbard, President Trump's nominee to serve as the director of national intelligence, will testify Thursday morning at a confirmation hearing before the Senate Intelligence Committee. The 43-year-old former Democratic congresswoman from Hawaii and combat veteran would oversee the nation's 18 spy agencies.

President Trump’s choice to serve as the director of national intelligence faced tough questions from senators in both parties.

After being pressed by senators from both parties to call Edward Snowden a traitor, Tulsi Gabbard repeatedly refused during her confirmation hearing on Thursday morning. Why it matters: Gabbard's past comments and legislation defending Snowden have threatened her confirmation to be President Trump's director of national intelligence.

Senate Republicans and their allies believe former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard ’s chances of being confirmed as director of national intelligence will hinge on her performance during her confirmation hearing next week, with several mentioning she has an “uphill battle” in her chances of being confirmed.

Any one of those resume bullet points might be enough to sink her precariously perched nomination, but in her confirmation hearing today it was Edward Snowden that dominated the discussion. Judging from the line of questioning from senators in both parties,

Tulsi Gabbard faced tense questioning about Russia at her confirmation hearing for director of national intelligence.