Hegseth faces bipartisan backlash over plan to livestream Fort Hood gunman’s firing-squad execution, the first U.S. military execution since 1961

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is facing bipartisan criticism after the Pentagon confirmed it plans to livestream the December 3 firing-squad execution of Nidal Malik Hasan, the former Army psychiatrist convicted of killing 13 people and wounding 32 others at Fort Hood, Texas, in 2009. Republican and Democratic lawmakers have condemned the planned broadcast as a disturbing public spectacle, with some warning that broadcasting Hasan’s death could turn him into a martyr and provide propaganda for extremist groups.

Republican Sen. Thom Tillis said Hasan should be executed but called the decision to make his death public and livestream it “beyond disgusting.” “Public executions are what oppressive dictatorships like Iran and Afghanistan do,” Tillis said. “It should not be happening in America.”

Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy described a public execution as “medieval” and questioned whether the Pentagon was mimicking the practices of extremist groups. Sen. Patty Murray, another Democrat, said the United States could pursue justice without “glorifying violence” or turning an execution into a public spectacle. :contentReference[oaicite:0]{index=0}

Hegseth has defended making the execution public, saying people should be able to watch because they need to understand that such crimes carry “serious consequences.” President Donald Trump approved Hasan’s execution, and the Pentagon said the sentence will be carried out by an Army firing squad at Fort Hood, the same military installation where Hasan carried out the 2009 attack.

Hasan’s execution would be the first carried out by the U.S. military since 1961 and the first military execution by firing squad since 1945. No U.S. execution is known to have been livestreamed to the general public, and the last widely recognized public execution in the country took place in Kentucky in 1936. Legal experts say Hasan could still seek review in civilian court, potentially delaying the December execution. :contentReference[oaicite:1]{index=1}