Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth announced the execution of Nidal Hasan by firing squad, but added a controversial decision to livestream the execution on Dec. 3.
Hasan was sentenced to death for shooting 13 people and injuring more than 30 others in Fort Hood, Texas, in 2009. But the decision to livestream the execution has since drawn bipartisan backlash, as well as support.
“We’ll make sure that people are able to watch it, that it’s public,” Hegseth told Real America’s Voice last week.
Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) said Hasan should face the death penalty for his crimes, but called the decision to livestream it “beyond disgusting.”
“Public executions are what oppressive dictatorships like Iran and Afghanistan do,” Sen. Tillis said on X. “It should not be happening in America.”
Representative Adam Smith (D-WA), ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee, said this decision is “disturbing” and “makes a mockery of our legal system.”
“There is a reason why we treat the meting out of justice with the seriousness it demands,” Rep. Smith said. “We are a democratic country and should take the rule of law seriously, not turn it into a spectacle."
But Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Markwayne Mullin defended Hegseth’s decision.
"I think people need to understand, if you attack America, we will come after you and we will make sure that the punishment fits the crime," Mullin said on Face the Nation, adding that no one has to watch the execution if they don’t want to.
Although Hegseth has confirmed the execution will be livestreamed, Vice President JD Vance said he is unsure if it's “actually going to happen.” If it does, the vice president said he will not be among its viewers.
“So whatever the controversy is about the method of the execution, I hope that people don’t forget that this is a guy who brutally murdered a lot of innocent people,” Vance said. “Now, that said, I mean, look, if it’s ultimately livestreamed, I’m not going to be watching it.”
President Donald Trump told reporters at the White House that he’d have the final say.
“By showing it, maybe other people won’t be doing what he did,” Trump said. “I’ll make a decision, ultimately.”
