Sen. Ben Cardin Benjamin (Ben) Louis CardinPPP application window closes after coronavirus talks deadlock Congress eyes tighter restrictions on next round of small business help Senate passes extension of application deadline for PPP small-business loans MORE (D-Md) is coming out against President Trump's choice for secretary of State, hours before a key Senate committee votes on Rex Tillerson's nomination.

Cardin, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said Monday that Tillerson's business ties and response to questions from lawmakers "could compromise" his ability to be the country's top diplomat.

"Tillerson was unwilling to characterize Russia and Syria’s atrocities as war crimes, or Philippine President Duterte’s extrajudicial killings as gross human rights violations," Cardin said. "And he was not willing to dismiss with unqualified clarity a registry for any ethnic or religious group of Americans."

He added that he thinks the former Exxon Mobil CEO "misled" lawmakers about the company's lobbying on U.S. sanctions. Tillerson told the Foreign Relations Committee that "to [his] knowledge" the company never lobbied against placing financial penalties on Iran or Russia.

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But Cardin argued Tillerson's comments are "inconsistent with the company's well-known, long-held position and activities."

He added that he is "concerned" about Tillerson potentially urging Trump to lift current sanctions targeting Russia.

"Russia attacked us through cyber warfare and has committed even greater atrocities in Ukraine, Syria, and Eastern Europe," he said. "They must be held accountable and our bipartisan legislation is an important tool to do so."

Cardin's opposition to Tillerson comes hours before the Foreign Relations Committee is scheduled to vote on the nomination.