Fastrack · Hegseth Faces Bipartisan Backlash Over Livestreamed Execution Plan

The Pentagon will livestream the Dec. 3 firing squad execution of Nidal Hasan, the 2009 Fort Hood shooter. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced the plan Thursday.

13 people killed and 32 wounded in Hasan's 2009 attack.
2013: a military jury sentenced the former Army major to death.
1945: the military's last prior firing squad execution, of Pvt. Eddie Slovik.
President Trump approved Hegseth's firing squad recommendation earlier this month.

Why it matters: No U.S. execution has been public since the 1930s. None has ever been livestreamed.

Hegseth said the public needs to see there are serious consequences.
Sen. Thom Tillis and Rep. Austin Scott, both Republicans, oppose broadcasting it.
Sen. Mark Kelly, an Arizona Democrat, called for Hegseth's removal.

How 12 sources split on this story

Source landscape

Factuality

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Strong LeftLeftLean LeftCenterLean RightRightStrong Right

Political Bias

Coverage by lean% of 12 sources

12 sources · 18 articles · 75% Left coverage

Where they split: Lawmakers in both parties largely support Hasan's death sentence but disagree over whether showing it publicly serves justice or degrades it.

Center1 source

The Hill51mMurkowski on public execution: ‘I’d expect this from terrorists and dictators’

Left coverage, 9 sources: The left sees the livestream as a spectacle that puts the U.S. alongside Iran and the Taliban, noting even some Republicans object.

The Independent6hPete Hegseth branded ‘deeply unwell’ as GOP and Dem critics pile on over livestream execution: ‘Obscene medieval spectacle’Daily Kos6hEven Republicans are appalled by Hegseth’s planned snuff film Mediaite4hIs a Thirst for Violence the Point Behind Pete Hegseth’s Public Execution Plan?Politico4h‘I’m not going to be watching it’: Vance opting out of public execution AlterNet5hGOP insider unloads on Trump official’s 'insecurity and imposter syndrome'MeidasTouch1dHegseth Turns Trump’s Firing Squad Into a Public Spectacle MSNBC9hHegseth faces pushback over plan to livestream a firing squad execution The Guardian3hI saw Iran execute a man in public. Is this what the US wants? | Robert Tait The New York Times3hSome G.O.P. Lawmakers Pan Hegseth’s Plan to Stream Execution of Fort Hood Shooter

Right2 sources

Newsmax4hFCC Chief Defers to Hegseth on Execution TV Broadcast The Washington Times2hCelebrities, lawmakers decry Pentagon plan to livestream execution

What’s next: Hasan, 56, faces the firing squad Dec. 3 at Fort Hood.

The Pentagon told The Independent more details on the livestream are coming.
Will safeguards keep children from watching, as Birmingham City University professor Jon Yorke asked?
Will Congress or courts act to block the livestream before Dec. 3?