Vance casts doubt on livestreaming Hasan execution: ‘I’m not going to be watching it’
In this undated handout photo from the website of the U.S. Government Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences downloaded on November 6, 2009, Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, the U.S. Army doctor named as a suspect in the shooting death of 13 peo
HEBRON, Ky. - Vice President JD Vance cast doubt on Friday whether the Pentagon will livestream the execution of Fort Hood shooter Nidal Malik Hasan in December but told reporters that if it is livestreamed, "I’m not going to be watching it."
What they're saying:
The Republican vice president said, "I don’t know that that’s actually going to happen," when asked about the plans that the Pentagon confirmed on Thursday. But Vance then tried to set aside the controversy over the shocking plans for a public execution and said Hasan’s crimes should not be forgotten.
RELATED: Nidal Hasan execution in Fort Hood to be livestreamed publicly, Hegseth says
The backstory:
Hasan was convicted of killing 13 people and injuring 32 others in a shooting spree at the military base in 2009.
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:
"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.
"Now, that said, I mean, look, if it’s ultimately livestreamed, I’m not going to be watching it," he added.
Vance is a convert to the Catholic Church, which has long opposed capital punishment.
Earlier Friday morning, the head of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops condemned the U.S. government’s decision to livestream Hasan's execution.
RELATED: Trump approves firing squad execution for Fort Hood shooter Nidal Hasan
"It is with shock and great sorrow that I have learned of the Department of War’s decision to publicly livestream the execution of Nidal Hassan. Our God is the God of life. In no way can Hassan’s actions be condoned but this decision is a barbaric promotion of a culture of death and must be reconsidered," said Archbishop Paul S. Coakley, president of the Conference, in a statement.
Fort Hood mass shooter to face US army firing squad
Nidal Malik Hasan, the former Army psychiatrist who killed 13 people and wounded 32 others in the 2009 Fort Hood mass shooting, will be executed by a U.S. Army firing squad, the Pentagon announced Monday. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth recommended the firing squad execution, which President Donald Trump approved. Hasan was convicted of killing 13 unarmed American soldiers and wounding 32 others during the attack, in which authorities said he shouted "Allahu Akbar."
Big picture view:
Earlier, President Donald Trump told a White House event that Hasan will be getting "the death penalty through firing squad. And he deserves it."
Trump, who approved Hasan's execution, called him "a maniac."
The president approved the method of execution by firing squad days after a failed attempt to execute Christa Pike by lethal injection late last month pushed Tennessee’s governor to halt further executions in that state this year.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the military hasn’t executed a service member by firing squad since World War II. The last military execution took place on April 13, 1961, when Army Pvt. John Bennett was executed by hanging.
Trump, who has long been a vocal supporter of capital punishment, didn’t mention the plans that the Pentagon has announced to livestream the execution so that the broader public can see it.
The Source: The Associated Press contributed to this report. The information in this story came from comments by Vice President JD Vance and President Donald Trump, statements from the Pentagon and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and a statement from Archbishop Paul S. Coakley, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. Background information about Nidal Malik Hasan’s 2009 Fort Hood shooting, conviction and planned execution was also included. This story was reported from Los Angeles.