Bipartisan outcry as Pentagon plans to livestream Fort Hood shooter's execution

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced Thursday that the execution of Fort Hood shooter Nidal Hasan would be livestreamed, setting off a rare moment of bipartisan alarm in Congress. Hasan, a former Army psychiatrist, was convicted in 2013 of killing 13 people and attempting to murder 32 others during a shooting at the Texas military base in 2009. President Trump authorized the firing squad execution on Monday, and Hegseth told a conservative news outlet it would happen publicly on December 3 at 1 p.m. local time—the exact hour the 2009 shooting occurred.

Within hours, lawmakers from both parties issued sharp rebukes. Republican Senator Thom Tillis, who has since expressed regret for voting to confirm Hegseth as Pentagon chief, called the plan "beyond disgusting" and drew a direct comparison to state executions in Iran and Afghanistan. "Public executions are what oppressive dictatorships do," Tillis wrote on social media. "It should not be happening in America." Republican Congressman Austin Scott of Georgia, who sits on the House Armed Services Committee, said livestreaming executions mirrors the practices of jihadist groups. "America is better than that," Scott posted. His Republican colleague Rob Bresnahan argued the focus should remain on the victims and their families, whose suffering deserves respect rather than spectacle.

Democrats were equally forceful. Senator Jack Reed of Rhode Island, the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, called the plan a "barbaric spectacle" and warned it would become "a gift to anti-American terrorist recruiters." He told Al Jazeera the decision represents another failure by Hegseth that has weakened national security and America's standing globally. Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut appeared visibly shocked during a CNN interview, calling the announcement "disgusting" and asking whether Hegseth was mimicking ISIS executions. "Public executions are medieval," Murphy said.

Not all Republicans opposed the move. Congressman Andy Ogles of Tennessee endorsed the livestream, saying "public execution is what this terrorist deserves" and praising Hegseth's decision as "excellent." Vice President JD Vance, a Marine Corps veteran, struck a more cautious note, telling reporters in Ohio he wouldn't be watching and questioned whether the plan would actually proceed.

The legal path forward remains unclear. Current Army policy strictly limits who may witness military executions—no one under 18, and only victims' family members, the prisoner's attorney, and at least two journalists. For the execution to be truly public, Trump would need to issue a waiver. When asked if he would grant one, the White House deferred to the Pentagon. The Pentagon offered no additional comment. FCC Chairman Brendan Carr said his agency would defer to Hegseth on whether U.S. networks could broadcast the event.

The United Nations has already weighed in. A spokesperson for the UN human rights office told AFP that broadcasting the execution would constitute a public execution and breach the absolute prohibition on torture under international law. The condemnation underscores how far outside the bounds of standard military practice—and international norms—the announcement has pushed the conversation. Trump himself later told reporters he "absolutely" approved of executing Hasan but said he had not yet decided on the livestream question, leaving the final determination in limbo as December approaches.