Celebrities, lawmakers decry Pentagon plan to livestream execution

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s plan to livestream the firing squad execution of Fort Hood gunman Nidal Hasan has drawn condemnation from actors, authors, journalists and lawmakers in both parties. Many of them said they support the death penalty but oppose turning it into a public broadcast.

Hasan, a former Army psychiatrist, was convicted of killing 13 people and wounding more than 30 at Fort Hood, Texas, in 2009. He is scheduled to die Dec. 3 at the base. Mr. Hegseth told Real America’s Voice that “we’ll make sure that people are able to watch it.” The Pentagon later confirmed the execution would be livestreamed, and Mr. Hegseth answered the backlash on X with a single word: “Correct.”

Henry Winkler, star of “Happy Days” and “Barry,” wrote on X: “Live execution?? Is this where we are now?” Author Joyce Carol Oates compared the idea to sadism and said she hoped families would keep young children from watching.

Alyssa Farah Griffin, a co-host of “The View” and a former Trump White House communications director, said she supports capital punishment for terrorists but thinks it is “bad for the human soul to tune in to watch.” Journalist Terry Moran said a government-produced death spectacle would debase the country and hand terrorists a martyrdom moment. Atlantic contributor Tom Nichols, who opposes the death penalty, called a staged public execution an abomination.

The criticism also came from Republicans. Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina called the plan “beyond disgusting” and said public executions are what dictatorships such as Iran and Afghanistan carry out. Rep. Austin Scott of Georgia said he supports the sentence but that livestreaming executions is what jihadists do. Sen. John Curtis of Utah urged Mr. Hegseth to reconsider. Sen. Chris Murphy, Connecticut Democrat, asked on CNN whether the Pentagon was mimicking ISIS executions.

Alonzo Lunsford, a former Army sergeant shot seven times at Fort Hood, supports the firing squad and plans to attend. CBS News reported that he told BBC Radio he does not agree with showing the uncensored execution to the general public.

President Trump, who approved the firing squad, said Friday that Hasan deserves that punishment. He spoke at an unrelated White House event, and CBS News did not report that he addressed the livestream.

The Dec. 3 date may not hold. Military law experts told the Associated Press that Hasan could file a habeas petition in civilian court, which could significantly delay the execution. One of them, Yale Law lecturer Eugene Fidell, suggested the litigation could outlast the current administration.

The last public execution in the U.S. is believed to have taken place in 1936, when Rainey Bethea was hanged in Kentucky. Hasan’s case would mark the military’s first execution since 1961.