In this photo released by the Bell County Sheriff's Office, U.S. Maj. Nidal Hasan, the Army psychiatrist who is charged with murder in the Fort Hood shootings, is seen in a booking photo after being moved to the Bell County Jail on April 9, 2010 in B
President Donald Trump said Thursday that the Pentagon will no longer live-stream the firing squad execution of Fort Hood shooter Nidal Malik Hasan, after the announcement faced bipartisan criticism and Vice President JD Vance said he wouldn’t watch it.
What they're saying:
Trump said on social media that publicly airing the execution "might have been a strong deterrent for the World to witness how America deals with Terrorists and SCUM like Hasan."
But, he continued, "any very good and well meaning people would rather not watch him die, through streaming, or through any other visual device."
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Fort Hood shooter's execution to be livestreamed, Hegseth says
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was asked about the execution of Nidal Hasan, the Army psychiatrist who killed 13 people and wounded dozens more in 2009, for the first time, since the time and location were approved by the Acting Secretary of the Army. LiveNOW's Austin Westfall has more.
Dig deeper:
The Pentagon has said Hasan’s execution is scheduled for Dec. 3. Trump said the execution can be viewed in person by immediate families of the victims, "if they so choose."
RELATED: Republicans, evangelicals oppose livestreamed execution: What does Trump say?
The announcement earlier this month from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth that Hasan’s execution would be public — and subsequent confirmation from the Pentagon that it would be live-streamed — prompted significant blowback from both Republicans and Democrats, with many pointing out that the images could be used to fuel radicalization.
When asked how the public execution comported with his Christian faith earlier this month, Vance said "I don’t know that that’s actually going to happen."
"So whatever the controversy is about the method of the execution, I hope that people don’t forget that this is a guy who brutally murdered a lot of innocent people," Vance said.
But he continued: "Now, that said, I mean, look, if it’s ultimately livestreamed, I’m not going to be watching it."
The Source: The Associated Press contributed to this report. The information came from President Donald Trump’s social media statement, comments from Vice President JD Vance, and previous announcements from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and the Pentagon regarding Nidal Malik Hasan’s scheduled execution. This story was reported from Los Angeles.