South Carolina senator Lindsey Graham, an early skeptic of President Donald Trump’s pick for secretary of state, told THE WEEKLY STANDARD that his concerns over whether the nominee would be cozy with the Kremlin and weak on sanctions against Russia have been allayed.

Graham and Arizona senator John McCain announced their support for former Exxon Mobil CEO Rex Tillerson in the run-up to a late January committee confirmation vote for the nominee. Their statement was measured, and said that the two senators still share concerns over Tillerson’s past dealings with the Kremlin.