Ben Cardin actually said...

"I want to ask you some questions in regards to a troubling trend we have seen globally on the decline of democracy."

"Will you work with us so that we can have a very strong position in making it clear that every country can do better with fighting corruption, that there are certain standards that need to be met?"

"Corruption exists in every country, but unless you have a plan to deal with corruption, it becomes very corrosive to the underlying fabric of any democratic society."

"I would also urge you to be as aggressive as you can with the budget director as to resources being devoted to democracy."