Vance suggests Nidal Hasan’s execution won’t be livestreamed, contradicting Hegseth

Vice President JD Vance indicated on Friday that the federal government may not livestream the scheduled execution of Fort Hood shooter Nidal Hasan, openly questioning plans previously outlined by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

Speaking to journalists on his way to an Ohio campaign event, Vance cast doubt on whether the broadcast would take place. While acknowledging recent public statements about the matter, Vance said he did not know if a livestream would actually happen and noted that he personally would not tune in if it were shown. He emphasized the gravity of Hasan's crimes, describing the 2009 mass shooting as what he viewed as the nation's worst domestic terror incident aside from 9/11.

Hasan received a death sentence after being convicted of killing 13 people and wounding 32 others during an attack at Texas's Fort Hood Army post. The execution is currently set for December.

Vance's comments directly diverged from remarks made a day earlier by Hegseth. While aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln in San Diego, the defense secretary told the conservative outlet Real America's Voice that Hasan would face a military firing squad and stated that officials would ensure the public could watch the event. Neither the Pentagon nor the White House offered immediate explanations regarding the conflicting messages from the administration.

The proposal to broadcast Hasan's death has triggered significant opposition across the political spectrum, including sharp criticism from several congressional Republicans. Lawmakers argued that publicizing capital punishment degrades civic values and turns state justice into a public spectacle.

Senator John Kennedy of Louisiana expressed opposition while on the campaign trail in Michigan, remarking that broadcasting such an act degrades society. Utah Senator John Curtis cautioned that airing executions encourages an appetite for violence as entertainment, urging Hegseth to reconsider so that justice could be carried out with solemnity. Retiring North Carolina Senator Thom Tillis called the prospect of streaming the killing repulsive, comparing public executions to methods used by authoritarian regimes.

Other Republican lawmakers voiced similar objections on social media. Georgia Representative Austin Scott noted that broadcasting executions mirrors tactics used by extremists, while Missouri Representative Ann Wagner maintained that the country should never stream capital punishment. Representatives Tom Barrett of Michigan and Rob Bresnahan of Pennsylvania also urged leadership to abandon the broadcast plan, arguing that turning the sentence into a spectacle disrespects victims and undermines human dignity.

According to NBC News, the United States armed forces have not conducted an execution since 1961, when Army Private John Bennett was hanged following a conviction for rape and attempted murder. The last time the American military carried out a death sentence by firing squad was in 1945, when Private Eddie Slovik was executed for wartime desertion.