One day after being indicted on charges of falsifying information on his financial disclosure forms, Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) was welcomed warmly by his longtime Senate colleagues.

Avoiding his usual route to the chamber, Stevens arrived through a back door to friendly greetings from Republicans and some Democrats. The embattled Alaskan lawmaker received numerous pats on the back and an arm bump from Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.), who is undergoing chemotherapy for a second bout of Hodgkin’s disease.

Stevens is set to be arraigned Thursday at 1 p.m. in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.

One of Stevens’ closest friends, Sen. Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii), stood up from his chair as soon as he saw his friend. Stevens even received a tap on the arm from another GOP colleague that has been beset by controversy, Sen. Larry Craig (R-Idaho).

Another veteran colleague, Sen. Robert Byrd (D-W. Va.), briefly spoke with Stevens and was heard saying, “Say it ain’t so.” Like Byrd, Stevens is the longest-serving member of his party still in the Senate.