Vice President JD Vance announced Friday that he would not watch the execution of convicted terrorist Nidal Hasan if it were to be livestreamed, and questioned the likelihood of such a broadcast occurring.
Hasan, a former Army psychiatrist, is scheduled to be executed by firing squad in December for the 2009 attack at Fort Hood, Texas, where he killed 12 soldiers and one civilian. Vice President Vance described Hasan's actions as "the worst terrorist attack on American soil outside of 9/11," emphasizing that Hasan "took them at their most vulnerable and gunned them down where they lived."
The execution method was directed by Acting Secretary of the Army Hon. Adam Telle, following approval from President Donald Trump, who holds the sole authority to approve death sentences for military prisoners. Hasan was found guilty on all 42 counts by a court-martial jury in August 2013 and sentenced to death days later.
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth revealed in an interview that Hasan's execution would be publicly broadcast, stating, "We'll make sure that people are able to watch it, that it's public." He added, "People need to understand that there's serious consequences for these types of things."
Hegseth's comments have drawn 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." Senator Chris Murphy criticized Hegseth for "mimicking" terrorist organizations like ISIS, while Senator Thom Tillis called the planned livestream "beyond disgusting" and something that "oppressive dictatorships like Iran and Afghanistan do."
Despite the controversy surrounding the public broadcast, Vice President Vance expressed skepticism about whether the livestream would actually take place. "I don’t know if that’s actually going to happen," Vance told reporters.
Regardless of the method of execution or the debate over its broadcast, Vance stressed the importance of remembering Hasan's crimes. "Whatever the controversy is about the method of the execution, I hope that people don't forget that this is a guy who brutally murdered a lot of innocent people," he said. Hasan, during his trial, had told jurors he had "switched sides" in what he termed America's war with Islam.