Pentagon plan to livestream Nidal Hasan’s execution draws bipartisan backlash
publishers 41articles 44first reported 7 Oct, 12:15 UTCdeveloping since 7 Oct · 16 editions
The Pentagon plans to livestream the firing-squad execution of Nidal Malik Hasan, the former Army psychiatrist convicted of killing 13 people in the 2009 shooting at Fort Hood, according to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and multiple news reports.
Hasan was sentenced to death in 2013 after a military jury convicted him on 45 counts of premeditated murder and attempted murder. President Donald Trump authorized the use of a firing squad, and Hegseth said the execution would take place at the Texas military base on December 3 at 1 p.m. local time, coinciding with the time of the attack.
The proposed broadcast drew condemnation from Republican and Democratic lawmakers. Republican Senator Thom Tillis called livestreaming the execution “beyond disgusting,” while Republican Representative Austin Scott said public broadcasts of executions were associated with terrorist groups. Democratic Senator Jack Reed described the plan as a “barbaric spectacle” and urged the administration to reconsider. The United Nations said livestreaming the execution would amount to torture, The Guardian reported.
Trump’s public comments on the broadcast were inconsistent. He initially said officials were still deciding whether to show it, but Newsweek later reported that he said he had personally approved the livestream. Vice President JD Vance questioned whether the execution would ultimately be broadcast and said he would not watch it.
HOW THIS STORY WAS MADE
Written from 7 articles, 3 with the publisher's own text; 7 independent newsrooms once syndicated copies count as one; this version written 72 h after the record first saw the story; the editor kept it as written.
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- Source articles
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- Given to the writer
- 7, 3 with the article's own text
- Independent newsrooms
- 7
- This version written
- 72 h after the record first saw the story
- Second model (editor)
- kept as written
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