Sen. Thom Tillis says that, without checks on power, "we will have a sort of dictator king if we

Sen. Thom Tillis, who is leaving the Senate, has sharply criticized aides around President Trump and urged fellow lawmakers to defend legislative authority against expanding White House power. He described many of those advisers as "sycophants," he said in remarks highlighted as he departs.

Tillis argued that recent presidents have increasingly preferred executive orders, a trend he said accelerated under the current administration. He said chief executives overlook Congress as an equal partner, and lawmakers must insist on that role. In his forthcoming book, he warns about authoritarian tendencies and cites what he called "constant escalation" over four presidencies of sidelining Capitol Hill.

Mr. Trump answered by dismissing Tillis as a "talker and complainer" and threatening to support a primary rival, according to the account. Tillis instead chose to retire rather than seek another term. He said he respects the president despite what he described as an odd dynamic that has angered Trump, and private profanity-laced messages between the two later surfaced because Tillis included them in his upcoming book.

While saying he wants the president to succeed, Tillis has placed fault on subordinates. He recently urged dismissal of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, saying that after an initial successful operation involving Iran, leadership failed to adjust strategy and heed military counsel. He was also critical of other officials, including Noem, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and aide Stephen Miller, accusing them of "not looking around corners for" Mr. Trump, he said.

On Jan. 6, 2021, Tillis condemned the Capitol attack as "despicable," he said, and a danger to orderly transfer of authority, but he voted against conviction in Trump's second impeachment trial, calling that effort hasty and political. In his book, he asserts at least 30 Republican senators privately question many Trump moves but stay silent from fear of retaliation. He says he intends to keep speaking out as he leaves office.