Three of President Donald Trump’s most controversial cabinet picks faced a series of questions on Thursday during their confirmation hearings.

Tulsi Gabbard, Trump's pick to be Director of National Intelligence, refused to call Edward Snowden a traitor at her confirmation hearing.

Gabbard's previous comments about Snowden, responsible for one of the most damaging leaks of sensitive U.S. intelligence, were the focal point of her hearing.

Three of President Donald Trump’s most controversial nominees faced sharp questions in the Senate during hearings Thursday from Democrats as well as several Republican senators in what amounted to the most direct skepticism from GOP senators over Trump’s nominees to date.

Senators questioned Gabbard about views seen as echoing Russia's justification of its war, criticism of US involvement in Syria and a 2017 meeting with Bashar al-Assad.

Democrats may also score hits by defeating two of Trump’s big-name nominees. Tulsi Gabbard, in her Senate hearing for director of national intelligence, couldn’t even say Edward Snowden was a traitor despite the fact that he gave U.S. military secrets to our enemy, Russia, where he now lives.

Former Democrat and military veteran Tulsi Gabbard, Trump's pick to be director of national intelligence was grilled about her past remarks supporting government whistleblower Edward Snowden as well as her relationships with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Syria's former dictator Bashar al-Assad.

Tulsi Gabbard faced tough questions Thursday about past comments about Russia, Syria and government leaker Edward Snowden during a Senate confirmation hearing on her nomination to lead the U.S. intelligence service.

In 2020, then-Democratic congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard introduced legislation calling on the federal government to drop all charges against Edward Snowden, the National Security Agency contractor who in 2013 revealed the existence of the bulk collection of American phone records by the NSA before fleeing to Russia.

Gabbard started again as Bennet insisted, “Yes or no? Is Edward Snowden a traitor to the United States of America?”