United States Vice-President JD Vance has said he will not watch the planned livestream of the execution of former Army psychiatrist Nidal Hasan, while expressing doubt that the Pentagon’s controversial plan to broadcast the firing-squad execution will ultimately proceed.
![](https://thenigerialawyer.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/2026-IDRI-Masterclass.png")
Hasan, who was convicted by a military court over the November 5, 2009 mass shooting at Fort Hood in Texas that killed 13 people and wounded more than 30 others, is scheduled to be executed on December 3, 2026, at the same military base.
Speaking to reporters in Cincinnati, Ohio, on Friday, Vance questioned whether the proposed livestream would eventually take place despite an announcement by Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth and confirmation from the Pentagon.
“I don’t know that that’s actually going to happen,” Vance said.
“If it’s ultimately livestreamed, I’m not going to be watching it,” he added.
The Vice-President, however, cautioned that the growing controversy over the method and public broadcast of the execution should not overshadow the gravity of Hasan’s crimes.
“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.
The Pentagon announced on Thursday that Hasan’s firing-squad execution would be livestreamed, with Hegseth arguing that members of the public should be able to see that serious crimes carry serious consequences.
“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 has approved Hasan’s execution by firing squad, as required under military law, but said on Friday that he had not yet made a final decision on whether the execution itself should be livestreamed.
The proposed broadcast has attracted criticism from both Republican and Democratic lawmakers, religious leaders, human-rights groups and international observers.
Republican Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina described the idea as “beyond disgusting,” while several other Republican lawmakers urged the administration to reconsider the plan. Senator John Curtis warned against turning executions into entertainment, while Representative Rob Bresnahan said the suffering of victims and their families deserved respect rather than a public spectacle.
Religious leaders have also entered the debate. Archbishop Paul Coakley, president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, described the proposed livestream as a “barbaric promotion of a culture of death,” while the National Association of Evangelicals warned against turning one of the state’s gravest responsibilities into public entertainment.
Pope Leo also renewed his opposition to capital punishment on Saturday, saying justice could be achieved without execution and describing the death penalty as an attack on human dignity. His comments came days after the Pentagon announced the livestream plan, although he did not refer directly to Hasan’s case.
Hasan, now 56, was sentenced to death in 2013 after a military jury found him guilty of 13 counts of premeditated murder and 32 counts of attempted premeditated murder arising from the Fort Hood attack. He was shot by police during his arrest and has since been confined to a wheelchair.
If carried out as scheduled, Hasan’s execution would be the first execution by the United States military since 1961 and the first by a military firing squad since 1945. A government execution has also never previously been broadcast or livestreamed in the United States, according to death-penalty experts cited by Reuters.
The Pentagon has said further details about the December 3 execution will be released later, while Trump continues to consider whether the unprecedented livestream proposed by Hegseth should go ahead.
[A MUST HAVE] Evidence Act Demystified With Recent And Contemporary Cases And Materials
Available now for NGN 40,000 at ASC Publications, 10, Boyle Street, Onikan, Lagos. Beside High Court, TBS. Email publications@ayindesanni.com or WhatsApp +2347056667384. Purchase Link: https://paystack.com/buy/evidence-act-complete-annotation
______________________________________________________________________ “Enhance Legal Practice With Authoritative Reports” — Alexander Payne Offers Comprehensive Law Reports, Spanning Over A Century Of Nigerian Jurisprudence
Interested buyers are encouraged to place their orders and enquiries via:
0704 444 4777, 0704 444 4999, 0818 199 9888
Website: www.alexandernigeria.com
