WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump announced Thursday that the Pentagon will no longer livestream the upcoming execution of Fort Hood shooter Nidal Malik Hasan, a reversal that follows intense bipartisan backlash and expressions of moral concern from within his own administration.
The decision comes just weeks before the scheduled December 3 execution of Hasan, the former Army psychiatrist who murdered 13 people and wounded dozens more in a 2009 shooting spree. While the President maintained that the original plan to broadcast the event “might have been a strong deterrent for the World to witness how America deals with Terrorists,” he conceded that the optics were problematic.
“Many very good and well-meaning people would rather not watch him die, through streaming, or through any other visual device,” Trump wrote on social media.
The initial proposal to broadcast the firing squad execution—announced by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth earlier this month—ignited an immediate firestorm in Washington. Critics from both sides of the aisle warned that a digital broadcast could be weaponized by extremist groups to fuel further radicalization. Furthermore, the decision drew condemnation from religious leaders, including the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, who labeled the plan a “barbaric promotion of a culture of death.”
Vice President JD Vance, whose Catholic faith generally aligns with Church opposition to capital punishment, had distanced himself from the plan. When asked if he would watch the stream, Vance replied, “If it’s ultimately livestreamed, I’m not going to be watching it.”
Pentagon chief spokesperson Sean Parnell confirmed that the President and Secretary Hegseth had coordinated the change in policy. “The Secretary supports the President’s decision, and they are completely aligned,” Parnell stated. Despite the cancellation of the public broadcast, Trump noted that the execution will not be entirely private; immediate family members of the victims will be permitted to witness the event in person “if they so choose.”
Hasan, who was paralyzed during the 2009 incident and remains in a wheelchair, has sat on death row for over a decade. His execution by firing squad will be a historical milestone for the U.S. military, which has not used such a method since World War II. The last military execution of any kind occurred in 1961, when Pvt. John Bennett was executed by hanging.
While the legal path to the execution date is clear, observers note that Hasan could still attempt to pursue last-minute appeals or seek delays. However, given his conduct during his 2013 military trial—where he attempted to justify his actions as an effort to protect fellow Muslims from military deployment—legal experts suggest he may not mount a significant challenge.
For now, the administration appears to have successfully quelled a brewing political crisis, shifting the focus from the spectacle of the event back to the gravity of the crimes committed by Hasan.
Disclaimer: This content is auto-generated for informational purposes only.
Source: Read Original News
