Republicans, evangelicals oppose livestreamed execution: What does Trump say?
Fort Hood shooter’s execution to be livestreamed
The Pentagon says it plans to livestream the execution of Nidal Hasan, the former Army psychiatrist convicted of killing 13 people and injuring 32 others in a 2009 shooting at Fort Hood, Texas. LiveNOW’s Anna Marsick speaks with military attorney Aimee Bateman about the announcement.
Republican lawmakers and religious leaders are speaking out against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s plan to livestream an execution by firing squad.
President Donald Trump also weighed in on the issue, a day after Vice President JD Vance cast doubt on livestreaming the execution of former Army psychiatrist Nidal Hasan.
RELATED: Nidal Hasan execution in Fort Hood to be livestreamed publicly, Hegseth says
Why do Republicans oppose the livestreamed execution?
What they're saying:
In a post on social media, Sen. John Curtis, a Utah Republican, said "broadcasting a death diminishes us and is not an effective deterrent."
RELATED: Vance casts doubt on livestreaming Hasan execution: ‘I’m not going to be watching it’
"A civilization erodes when it cultivates an appetite for executions as a form of entertainment," Curtis said. "I urge [Hegseth] to reconsider."
FILE: In this photo released by the Bell County Sheriff's Office, U.S. Maj. Nidal Hasan, the Army psychiatrist who is charged with murder in the Fort Hood shootings, is seen in a booking photo after being moved to the Bell County Jail on April 9, 201
Sen. Thom Tillis, a Republican from North Carolina, called it "beyond disgusting" in a post on X.
"Public executions are what oppressive dictatorships like Iran and Afghanistan do. It should not be happening in America," he said.
"Streaming his execution is not just a stain on our morality — it also gives the terrorists free propaganda that they will use to radicalize & recruit more terrorists," said Joe Kent, Trump’s former head of the National Counterterrorism Center.
Why do religious leaders oppose the livestreamed execution?
Archbishop Paul Coakley, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, called the plan a "barbaric promotion of a culture of death," according to Reuters.
"A live-streamed execution by firing squad risks turning one of the state's most solemn responsibilities into a public spectacle, promoting a culture of death, rather than a culture that upholds the dignity of every human being," Walter Kim, president of the National Association of Evangelicals, wrote on X.
RELATED: Pentagon creates new 'Office of Religious Affairs'
Hegseth is a member of a conservative evangelical church and has made his Christian faith a trademark of his tenure as defense secretary, Reuters reports. He’s led prayer services at the Pentagon and recently created an "Office of Religious Affairs" at the Pentagon.
What does Trump say about livestreamed execution?
The other side:
Trump told reporters he supports Hasan’s execution by firing squad, but he said he has yet to "make a determination" about whether it should be livestreamed.
A senior White House official told Reuters that Trump isn’t opposed to the livestreaming idea, but he could change his mind as more allies and religious leaders voice concerns.
Dig deeper:
Trump has previously been critical of public executions in Iran, at times using the possibility of protesters being killed by the Iranian government as rationale for military action against Iran.
Who is Nidal Hasan?
The backstory:
Hasan, an Army psychiatrist who held the rank of major, walked into a medical building at Fort Hood on Nov. 5, 2009 and opened fire with a laser-sighted handgun as soldiers were waiting in long lines to receive immunizations and medical clearance for deployment. He shouted "Allahu akbar" — Arabic for "God is great!" — and shot at the backs of soldiers fleeing toward the parking lot. Thirteen people were killed and 32 others were injured.
Army: Fort Hood shooter to be executed on Dec. 3
Nidal Hassan, the former US Army major who carried out an attack on Fort Hood, Texas, killing 13 people and wounding more than 30 others, will die by US Army firing squad on December 3rd at 1pm Central Time, the US Army says. Eugene Fidell at Yale Law School joined LiveNOW's Josh Breslow to discuss the case.
Hasan said it was an effort to stop them from going to Afghanistan and killing his fellow Muslims, though a military judge barred him from presenting that as a defense during his 2013 trial.
Hasan was left paralyzed from the waist down after being shot in the back by law enforcement, and he now uses a wheelchair.
When is Nidal Hasan’s execution?
Timeline:
The Army announced that the execution would take place Dec. 3 at Fort Hood.
Hasan could choose to resist execution and file a habeas petition — a legal request to review the legality of a detention — in civilian court, which could significantly delay the execution, experts said.
"It frankly might outlast the current administration, and who knows if the next one will have the same penchant for executions," Eugene R. Fidell, a visiting lecturer at Yale Law School specializing in military law, told The Associated Press.
The Source: This article includes information from Reuters, The Associated Press and previous FOX Local reporting.