Hegseth, who recently oversaw the stripping of a base name honoring a Harlem Hellfighter, presented the award to descendants of the Harlem Hellfighters.
The move could allow the Trump administration to get around a federal law prohibiting U.S. troops from being used in domestic law enforcement on U.S. soil.
By Tara Copp, AP and Lolita C. Baldor, The Associated Press