Reed Blasts Hegseth for Planning to Live-Stream the Execution of Fort Hood Shooter

WASHINGTON, DC – In response to U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth announcing plans to live-stream the military execution of convicted Fort Hood shooter Nidal Malik Hasan, a former U.S. Army psychiatrist who opened fire on dozens of people at the Soldier Readiness Processing Center in Fort Hood, Texas, in 2009, Senate Armed Services Committee Ranking Member Jack Reed (D-RI) issued the following statement: “Live-streaming an execution is a barbaric spectacle. This is yet another stunt by Secretary Hegseth to distract from his tenure’s repeated failings which have only weakened our national security and standing in the world. “The Trump Administration should reconsider this abhorrent move, which only gives the shooter what he wants: more attention and more control. Instead of forcing the shooter to face justice, the Trump Administration is literally handing him more power and offering him a global platform to amplify his hateful, anti-American message. This is a gift to anti-American terrorist recruiters. It is absolutely shameful and damaging to America’s interests and core values.” Army Regulation 190-55 governs who may witness military executions and does not provide for unrestricted public attendance, but it may be waived by the Commander-in-Chief. According to the Washington Post : “Countries such as Iran and Afghanistan still carry out public executions. But the Death Penalty Information Center said there was no precedent for a state-sanctioned execution to be live-streamed.”