Tulsi Gabbard fought back against what she called “smears,” declaring she is nobody’s “puppet” before the Senate Intelligence Committee.

Trump’s nominee for director of intelligence said, under oath, that she was not aware “until today” that a prominent cleric she met in Syria threatened to unleash suicide bombers in the United States.

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.

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.

Gabbard is transferring her business to her spouse in a move experts said could create conflict of interest concerns.

Ms. Gabbard, President Trump’s nominee for director of national intelligence, was briefly subject to special scrutiny on airline flights last year, but not, officials say, for the partisan reasons she has alleged.

If confirmed, former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard would become the youngest-ever DNI. Sources tell ABC News the vote on her nomination is expected to be close.

Tulsi Gabbard, Kash Patel and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. are among Trump's more controversial nominees, and faced tough questions from senators Thursday.

The Trump administration’s purge of dozens of senior officials at the U.S. Agency for International Development encountered resistance Thursday when the career employee who carried out the original directive rescinded it, calling the purge an “illegal” violation of “due process.”

Tulsi Gabbard, President Donald Trump's pick to be director of national intelligence, faced sharp criticism from Democrats and Republicans alike Thursday during a fiery confirmation hearing focused on her past comments sympathetic to Russia,

President Donald Trump has begun his second administration with a series of controversial moves and decisions.