Nidal Hasan Execution: ‘Beyond Disgusting’, Republican Thom Tillis Slams Hegseth’s Livestream Plan

Republican Sen. Thom Tillis condemned Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s plan to livestream the execution of former Army psychiatrist Nidal Hasan, calling the proposal “beyond disgusting” as criticism of the unprecedented broadcast spread across party lines on Oct. 8.

The Pentagon confirmed Thursday that Hasan’s execution by firing squad, scheduled for Dec. 3 at Fort Hood, Texas, will be livestreamed. Hasan was sentenced to death for killing 13 people and attempting to kill 32 others in the 2009 shooting at the military installation.

Tillis, a North Carolina Republican who supports Hasan receiving the death penalty, argued that broadcasting the execution crosses a separate line. Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut also criticized the plan, questioning the decision to broadcast an execution publicly.

Thom Tillis Condemns Hegseth’s Public Execution Plan

“Hasan should face the death penalty, but making his execution public and streaming it? Beyond disgusting,” Tillis wrote on X on Thursday. He added that public executions were associated with “oppressive dictatorships like Iran and Afghanistan” and said the practice “should not be happening in America.”

Murphy expressed similar opposition during a CNN interview with anchor Erin Burnett on Thursday. Learning about the livestream plan during the segment, the Connecticut Democrat called it “disgusting” and “medieval.”

“I understand that in this country we have the death penalty, but public executions is medieval,” Murphy said, arguing that the practice resembles conduct the United States condemns when carried out by extremist groups.

Hegseth Defends Plan to Livestream Hasan’s Execution

Hegseth announced the plan during an interview with Jack Posobiec of Real America’s Voice aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln on Oct. 7. He said the execution would take place at Fort Hood at 1 p.m. on Dec. 3, matching the approximate time of the 2009 attack.

“We’ll make sure that people are able to watch it, that it’s public, because people need to understand that there’s serious consequences for these types of things,” Hegseth said.

President Donald Trump approved the firing-squad method following a recommendation from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, while acting Army Secretary Adam Telle set Dec. 3 as the execution date. The planned execution would be the first U.S. Army firing-squad execution since World War II and the first U.S. military execution since 1961.

Hasan, who was convicted in 2013, opened fire at Fort Hood’s Soldier Readiness Processing Center on Nov. 5, 2009.

Army Regulations and the Planned Livestream

The plan also raises questions about how the livestream would be conducted and what rules would govern public access to a military execution. Army Regulation 190-55 governs procedures for military executions and limits who may attend as a witness, including excluding people under 18. How those restrictions would apply to a livestream has not been publicly clarified.

Public executions have largely disappeared from modern American practice. The last widely recognized public execution in the United States took place in 1936, when Rainey Bethea was hanged in Kentucky.