The Pentagon pointed to the IG's conclusion that Hegseth had the authority to declassify the strike information as an exoneration.
Only a handful of Democrats supported the defense authorization bill plan, because of social issue fights included in the measure.
The strike on a suspected Venezuelan drug-smuggling boat is raising questions about how far Trump will wield his presidential power over the military.
The ousters have ramped up the Trump administration’s targeting of both military leadership and the intelligence community.
