Lawmakers in both parties blast plan to livestream Hasan execution

Lawmakers in both parties criticised Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth's plan to livestream the execution of former Army Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, convicted of the 2009 Fort Hood shooting that killed 13 people and injured 32 others. The Pentagon said Hasan's execution by firing squad is scheduled for 3 December 2026. Hegseth said on Thursday the execution would be public, and the Pentagon later confirmed it would be livestreamed.cbsnews.com+1

The backlash matters because it crosses party lines at a moment when the plan would mark several firsts. If carried out, the execution would be the military's first in 65 years, its first by firing squad in more than 80 years and the first public execution in the United States in 90 years. Army regulation generally does not allow public executions, though the Army's provost marshal general can waive provisions of the regulation.

Execution would be military's first in 65 years

President Donald Trump approved the execution by firing squad, the Pentagon announced earlier in the week. Hasan was convicted in 2013 and sentenced to death for the shooting. The method of execution could still be appealed. On Thursday, Hegseth said in an interview that the execution would be public, with the Pentagon later adding that it would be livestreamed. Hegseth told Real America's Voice: "People need to understand that there's serious consequences for these types of things."

Republican Rep. Austin Scott of Georgia, a member of the House Armed Services Committee, posted on Friday morning: "I absolutely support the sentence of death, but live-streaming executions is what jihadists do. America is better than that." Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., called making the execution public and streaming it "Beyond disgusting" and said public executions are what oppressive dictatorships like Iran and Afghanistan do.

Democratic Rep. Adam Smith of Washington, the ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee, said the planned livestream is "disturbing and makes a mockery of our legal system" and added: "We are a democratic country and should take the rule of law seriously, not turn it into a spectacle." In a separate interview, Smith called the plan "barbaric and gratuitous." Sen. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., called the prospect a "snuff film," and Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., denounced it as "grotesque."

Where the numbers came from

Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., the ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said the plan gives the shooter what he wants: more attention and more control, calling it "a gift to anti-American terrorist recruiters." Republican Sen. John Curtis warned that public executions erode civilisations "when it cultivates an appetite for executions as a form of entertainment" and urged Hegseth to reconsider. The US Conference of Catholic Bishops expressed "shock and great sorrow" in a statement.

Vice President JD Vance told reporters in Ohio on Friday that he did not plan to watch and doubted the execution would happen: "I see these announcements, I don't know that that's actually going to happen." Hours later, Trump said he "absolutely" approved the livestream plans but said the Pentagon was still "making a determination" on it. Trump said of Hasan: "So I really don't care how he goes, as long as he goes."

The UN human rights office said that livestreaming an execution would be "tantamount to a public execution and would breach the absolute prohibition of torture." Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten called the decision "absurd" at a press conference in The Hague, saying European social media platforms should prevent the broadcast. In 2025, at least 17 public executions happened worldwide, according to Amnesty International: six in Afghanistan and 11 in Iran.

What happens next

The Pentagon has not said which platforms would carry the livestream. Meta explicitly bans any live stream of capital punishment, and YouTube bans violent or gory content intended to shock viewers. Military law requires that a military execution be approved by the US president and requires appellate review by a higher court. The execution is scheduled for 3 December 2026, and the method could still be appealed.rollcall.com