Ben Cardin actually said...

"It's important that we support the people of Russia in their pursuit of free, fair, and transparent elections."

"We need to be engaged on all fronts, including not least focusing on supporting the efforts of Russians to strengthen democracy and the rule of law."

"We are committed to engaging with, strengthening and modernizing Russian civil society."

"it's going to be more hard-line on the human rights advancements and that it even puts more of a spotlight in importance on how we deal internationally with the human rights dimension."