Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) compared Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller to fictional villains on Friday, calling them both a “sycophant” as tensions rise over the administration’s immigration enforcement efforts.

“A sycophant is more than just a ‘yes-man,’” Tillis wrote in a lengthy post on social platform X. “It refers to someone who acts excessively servile toward someone important in order to gain an advantage.”

He added, “They aren’t just being nice, they are using excessive flattery, often insincerely, to get what they want, whether that’s a promotion, social status or favor.”

The senator compared Miller to Grima Wormtongue from “The Lord of the Rings,” who is an adviser to a king. 

“He uses whispers and false flattery to control the King’s decisions, all while secretly serving Saruman,” the North Carolina Republican continued in his post. “He is a classic example of a sycophant who uses his position to poison a leader’s standing for his own benefit.”

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has faced mounting scrutiny in recent weeks over the administration’s massive immigration crackdown in Minnesota and immigration enforcement officers’ use of force. Protests spread across the state after two Minneapolis residents — Alex Pretti and Renee Good — were fatally shot by federal agents in two separate incidents earlier this month.

DHS has maintained that the officers were acting in self-defense and Trump officials have blamed Pretti and Good for the incidents, claiming the protesters tried to cause harm to federal immigration authorities.

Democrats, and some Republicans like Tillis, have lashed out at Noem and threatened possible impeachment proceedings. President Trump, however, has stuck behind her and she doubled down on her criticism of the protesters on Friday.