Ben Cardin actually said...

"We should be thanking him and all that are with him for literally risking their lives."

"The government's reaction was brutal, and its subsequent actions can only be interpreted as a campaign to crush the opposition."

"We will never know how the people of Belarus actually voted on December 19, though surely it was not the 80 percent for Mr. Lukashenko that he claims."

"We, in the United States, have supported the people of Belarus through the dark period of Lukashenko's rule and they know that and they welcome it."