- A livestream of the Dec. 3 execution of former Maj. Nidal Hasan “might not happen,” Trump told a confidant, who does not work in the administration and shared the comment with Axios.
- “He didn’t seem particularly enthusiastic” about webcasting the execution, the source said. “That’s why he’s calling everywhere, doing the Trump thing, asking people what they think.”
Zoom: Hasan faces a firing squad at Fort Hood, where he carried out his deadly shooting spree 17 years ago. He would be the first person in the United States whose execution would be broadcast live.
- Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced the revolutionary idea on Real America’s Voice on Thursday.
- “We’ll make sure that people can watch it — that it’s public — because people need to understand that these kinds of things have serious consequences,” Hegseth said.
Zoom out: The idea was strongly condemned nationally and internationally. In the days that followed, Trump began to publicly change his position:
- At first, Trump was unreserved in his support. “Absolutely, I approve,” Trump told reporters Friday evening.
- Later in the evening, Trump was more nuanced: “They want to do this because they want to set an example. I was not involved in this decision, but I understand it.”
- On Saturday, Trump took control, telling reporters he would have the final say: “There are two ideas: Don’t show it and show it. Because you know, by showing it, maybe other people won’t do what he did. So, I will make a decision, ultimately. I know what the military would like to do, but we will make a decision,” the president told reporters at the White House.
Behind the scenes: Vice President Vance indicated where he thought the president would make this decision, according to a source.
- “I don’t know if it’s actually going to happen,” Vance told reporters Friday, speaking off the cuff. He repeated it privately to others.
- “I’m not going to watch it,” Vance said.
Between the lines: Trump, Vance and everyone else in the administration clearly support the execution of Hasan. But the president is grappling with competing pressures.
- “The president wants this bastard to pay, and a public execution could be the additional humiliation that (Hasan) deserves,” said another insider who spoke to the president. “At the same time, he doesn’t want to make a martyr out of this guy.”
- Another said: “It’s an old dude in a wheelchair we’re filming. We want to broadcast this live?” (Hasan, 56, was permanently injured when he was shot during his capture.)
Point of friction: The division of opinion over live streaming of the execution is another point of disagreement between Vance and Hegseth.
- They are on opposite sides when it comes to the use of military force in Yemen and Iran, compared to the military leadership.
- Counselors say the men have good relationships.
Context: Whether at the state or federal level, executions are often observed only by family members or certain media outlets. They were not broadcast live.
- Executions used to take place in public squares, but this practice was abandoned in the 1930s, according to NPR.
- The execution of Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh in 2001 was viewed by his relatives and survivors of the bombing via a private closed-circuit television broadcast.
Flashback: Shouting “Allahu Akbar!” » Hasan shot and killed 13 people – including a pregnant woman – and injured 32 others on November 5, 2009, as they waited in line for medical checks at the Fort Hood Soldier Readiness Processing Center.
- This is the worst terrorist attack perpetrated on American soil since September 11.
- A special report from the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee criticized the military for “political correctness” that blinded authorities to the major’s increasingly evident Islamist radicalization.
The bottom line: Hasan will be executed unless something unexpected happens. The only real doubt is whether private citizens unconnected with the case will be able to witness it.
- “If I had to bet, I would bet that the president would not authorize this,” one administration official said. “But I’m not going to get ahead of the boss and try to predict what he will do.”
- “Hasan will be executed for his crimes,” the official said, “and that’s what matters.”
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