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[UPDATE] Trump says he will decide whether to livestream Fort Hood shooter Nidal Hasan's Dec. 3 firing-squad execution

An eight-member firing squad would carry it out, and Hasan would be the first U.S. service member executed since 1961.

President Trump said Saturday, Oct. 10, he would "make a decision ultimately" on streaming the execution of Nidal Hasan, who killed 13 people and wounded 32 at Fort Hood in 2009. A day earlier he said he "absolutely" approved. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says a stream would deter attacks; no U.S. execution has ever been broadcast (BBC). The catch. Army rules bar witnesses under 18 and require an approved witness list, so a stream needs a waiver or rule change, a military lawyer told Snopes. Meta bans streams of executions; YouTube and TikTok allow "public interest" exceptions (BBC). Who objects. Republicans split: Rep. Austin Scott (R-Ga.) said "live-streaming executions is what jihadists do"; Rep. Matt Van Epps (R-Tenn.) backs it. Retired Lt. Gen. Sean MacFarland, who approved Hasan's death sentence in 2013, called it "more of an act of vengeance than an act of justice" (Bloomberg). Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin said it is "certainly unacceptable to turn death into a spectacle"; Pope Leo called capital punishment "inadmissible" on Saturday, Oct. 10, without naming Hasan. What next. Hasan can still file a habeas petition (a civilian-court challenge to his detention), which Yale's Eugene Fidell says could push the execution past this administration; whether he will is unclear, Snopes reported.

PREVIOUSLY

  • Oct. 5 — The Pentagon announced Trump had approved Hegseth's recommendation that the Army execute Hasan by firing squad; an Army order the next day set Dec. 3 at Fort Hood.
  • Oct. 8 — Hegseth confirmed the execution would be livestreamed; a Pentagon official said the platform was not yet named.
  • Oct. 9 — Trump said he "absolutely" approved; Vance said, "I don't know that that's actually going to happen." GOP lawmakers, the U.S. Catholic bishops and the UN objected.

What the research says a broadcast would actually do:

  • A 1980 study by David Phillips found homicides fell 35.7% on average in the short term after heavily publicized executions; it found no lasting effect and did not study live video.
  • The National Research Council's 2012 review found studies could not show whether the death penalty raises, lowers or leaves homicide rates unchanged.