Director of National Intelligence nominee Tulsi Gabbard’s views on former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden and his theft of more than a million classified documents mushroomed into a major point of contention with Republicans on the Senate Intelligence Committee Thursday.

Republican senators pressed Gabbard to declare Snowden a “traitor” and to acknowledge that he “harmed” U.S. national security, but Gabbard refused to do so, raising alarm among Republican who will be voting on her nomination in the weeks ahead.

“People are holding their cards pretty close to the vest but that nomination is in trouble,” said one Republican senator, who requested anonymity to comment candidly on Gabbard’s chances of getting through the Senate.

A second Republican senator said there’s been “a lot of discussion” among GOP lawmakers over Gabbard’s fitness to lead the nation’s intelligence community.

“There’s been a lot of conversation on that,” the senator said.

Gabbard, if confirmed, would serve as the nation’s leading intelligence official, and would be in charge of preparing President Trump’s daily intelligence brief.

A key moment during Thursday’s hearing came when Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.) asked whether Gabbard views Snowden as a “traitor,” advising her that members of the Intelligence panel would feel a lot better about her nomination if she would do so.

Instead, Gabbard sidestepped two questions about whether Snowden betrayed the nation, telling lawmakers she is “focused on the future and how we can prevent something like this from happening again,” referring to Snowden’s theft of secret documents.

Lankford, who earlier this month said he would support Gabbard, said after the hearing that he was “surprised” by her........

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