The Donald Trump administration and Iraqi lawmakers are raising questions about whether Baghdad’s caretaker prime minister has the authority to kick out US forces after parliament urged American troops to leave in a vote this weekend.

Iraqi caretaker Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi, who resigned in November amid anti-government protests, backed the parliamentary vote that urged Iraq to expel 5,200 US troops who are in the country to fight the Islamic State (IS).

But despite Abdul Mahdi’s protests, top Trump administration officials such as Defense Secretary Mark Esper have repeatedly questioned the legitimacy of the vote and the sitting Iraqi government, arguing that the poll was manipulated by intimidation of Shiite lawmakers from Iran-backed groups and doesn’t reflect the will of the Iraqi people.

“As you know, most Kurds and most Sunnis did not show and those Shiites who did vote, many of them voted at the threat of their own lives by Shiite militia groups,” Esper said at a Pentagon briefing today. “Even in the last few days we still see Iraqis on the streets protesting their government due to corruption and the malign influence of Iran.”