Members of both the Republican and Democratic parties are voicing their strong opposition to “livestreaming” the firing squad execution of Fort Hood shooter Nidal Hasan as announced Thursday by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth (above).
The last public execution in the U.S. was in 1936 – the hanging of 22-year-old Rainey Bethea in Owensboro, Kentucky.
Hasan should face the death penalty, but making his execution public and streaming it? Beyond disgusting. Public executions are what oppressive dictatorships like Iran and Afghanistan do. It should not be happening in America.
— Senator Thom Tillis (@SenThomTillis) October 9, 2026
There is no need to livestream any execution, including this one. I would expect this from terrorists and dictators, but not here in America. It would give this individual, who deserves no further notoriety, the martyrdom he seeks. How we carry out justice matters just as much as the justice itself, so I urge the Pentagon to reverse this gruesome decision.
https://t.co/HtKIy8FpBX
— Sen. Lisa Murkowski (@lisamurkowski) October 9, 2026
Seneca warned that Rome’s bloody spectacles corrupted the people who watched them. A civilization erodes when it cultivates an appetite for executions as a form of entertainment.
Secretary Hegseth’s plan to livestream the Fort Hood execution risks feeding that appetite. The victims deserve justice administered with solemnity. Broadcasting a death diminishes us and is not an effective deterrent. I urge him to reconsider.
— Senator John Curtis (@SenJohnCurtis) October 9, 2026
Pete Hegseth announced that the Department of Defense would publicly execute Nidal Hasan and live stream the execution. There is no doubt that Nidal Hasan is a murderer who took the lives of 13 people and injured dozens. He should face justice for that. But a public execution? Here in the United States? It’s the kind of thing Iran and the Taliban do. Is this who we want to be associated with? Pete Hegseth’s campaign of “maximum lethality” and his comments about “killing people” and now his desire to publicly execute a prisoner indicate to me that his expiration date in this job has long passed. He should be removed immediately. And this administration needs to reevaluate its priorities. How about they trade glorifying violence for solving some problems and delivering for the American people? We need to be reminded of the nation we can be at our best. As President Ronald Reagan said “compassion, vision, and a fundamental sense of decency are the hallmarks of our national character.” That is not what we’ve seen from this President and his administration. We need to find that again.
— Senator Mark Kelly (@SenMarkKelly) October 9, 2026
Us: we want housing, food, and gas that we can afford!
Trump and Republicans: how about we live stream an execution?
— Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta (@malcolmkenyatta) October 9, 2026
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