Hillary Clinton Criticized for 'Barbaric' Remark on Fort Hood Execution After Celebrating Gaddafi's Death

Hillary Clinton faced criticism after calling the proposed livestreamed execution of Fort Hood shooter Nidal Hasan "barbaric," with critics resurfacing a video of her celebrating the death of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. President Donald Trump had previously endorsed Hasan's execution by firing squad, suggesting "he deserves it," though he remained noncommittal about a plan to livestream the event.

Clinton, a vocal critic of Trump, took to social media to condemn the execution plan. "A barbaric idea, beneath our dignity as a country. Push back on this," she wrote. This statement drew sharp reactions from various individuals who pointed to her past remarks made upon learning of Gaddafi's death.

In 2011, Clinton famously remarked to reporters, "We came, we saw, he died," with a laugh, after Gaddafi was killed. While Gaddafi's death was not televised, graphic images and videos of his capture and body circulated widely. Critics accused Clinton of hypocrisy, with one commenter stating, "But I thought you really enjoy watching public executions." Another recalled, "You cheered when Gaddafi was publicly sodomized to death."

Trump, when questioned about a livestreamed execution, told reporters, "Well, they´re making a determination about that," but reiterated his support for the firing squad method. "He will be killed. He will be, through firing squad... I really don´t care how he goes, as long as he goes. And I think the death penalty is a very worthy way of going for him," Trump stated.

Vice President J.D. Vance also commented on the matter, telling reporters that he would not watch the execution if it were livestreamed. Vance described Hasan's 2009 attack, which killed 13 and wounded 32 at Fort Hood, as "the worst terrorist attack on American soil outside of 9/11." He added, "He took them at their most vulnerable and gunned them down, these people where they lived." Vance expressed doubt about whether the execution would actually be livestreamed, though he indicated Hasan deserved to die for his crimes and that the execution was likely to occur in December.

Army Secretary Hon. Adam Telle directed Hasan's execution by firing squad after Trump approved the death sentence for the former Army major. The 2009 mass shooting was the deadliest attack on a domestic military installation in U.S. history. Hasan, who was paralyzed from the waist down after being shot during the incident, was sentenced to death in 2013. During his trial, Hasan admitted to initiating the rampage, stating he wanted to prevent American soldiers from deploying to kill Muslims and that he did not want to be deployed to Afghanistan. The Department of Defense had characterized the attack as workplace violence rather than terrorism.

Hasan was found guilty of all 42 charges by a court-martial jury in August 2013 and received the death sentence days later. Pete Hegseth, a former official, revealed in an interview that Hasan would be publicly executed by firing squad, stating, "We'll make sure that people are able to watch it, that it's public." He emphasized that "People need to understand that there's serious consequences for these types of things."

Hegseth's remarks drew bipartisan criticism. The UN human rights office stated that broadcasting the killing "is tantamount to a public execution and would breach the absolute prohibition of torture." Democratic Senator Chris Murphy accused Hegseth of "mimicking" terrorist organizations like ISIS, while Republican Senator Thom Tillis called public executions "what oppressive dictatorships like Iran and Afghanistan do" and stated it "should not be happening in America."

Hasan is one of four inmates on death row in the U.S. Army's justice system. Earlier this year, the Justice Department announced its adoption of firing squads as a permitted method of execution as the Trump administration seeks to expedite capital punishment cases.