WASHINGTON (AP) — Tulsi Gabbard’s nomination to be President Donald Trump director of national intelligence cleared a key Senate committee Tuesday despite concerns raised about her past comments sympathetic to Russia and a meeting with Syria’s now-deposed leader.

The questions raised by senators about Gabbard’s judgment and experience make her one of the more contentious of Trump’s Cabinet nominees. Given thin Republican margins in the Senate, she will need almost all GOP senators to vote yes in order to win confirmation.