Vice President JD Vance and several Republican lawmakers expressed skepticism on Friday, October 9, 2026, regarding a Pentagon plan to livestream the upcoming execution of Nidal Hasan. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed on Thursday, October 8, 2026, that the public would be able to watch the execution, which is scheduled to be carried out by a firing squad on December 3. Vance stated he did not know if the livestream would proceed and said he would not be watching if it did.
The execution stems from the 2009 shooting at Fort Hood, Texas, where Hasan, a former U.S. Army psychiatrist, killed 13 people and wounded 31 others. Hasan was convicted in a military trial and stated during his 2013 proceedings that he carried out the attack to stop what he termed a U.S. war on Islam. The execution is scheduled to take place at the same base where the attack occurred.
President Donald Trump stated on Friday that while Hasan deserves the death penalty, he has not yet determined whether he will allow the execution to be livestreamed. Opposition to the broadcast has grown among lawmakers and religious groups. Senator John Curtis (R-UT) argued that "a civilization erodes when it cultivates an appetite for executions as a form of entertainment," while Representative Rob Bresnahan (R-PA) said the pain felt by victims and family members deserves respect rather than a public show. Archbishop Paul Coakley, president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, described the plan as a "barbaric promotion of a culture of death."
For the public, this decision determines whether an act of state-sanctioned capital punishment will be accessible via a digital feed or restricted to official witnesses. The UN human rights office stated that public executions constitute a form of cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment. Furthermore, mental health experts noted that a public broadcast could traumatize children.
The Pentagon has not yet reported whether the families of the victims will be invited to attend the execution in person, nor has it detailed how the Army will select the members of the firing squad. The White House is reportedly hearing concerns from allies and religious leaders as the administration weighs the proposal. A final decision on the livestream is expected before the December 3 execution date.