JD Vance says he won't watch livestream execution of Fort Hood shooter
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U.S. Vice President JD Vance speaks to reporters on October 5, 2026. Photo: Jacquelyn Martin - Pool/Getty Images.
Vice President JD Vance said Friday he won't watch a potential livestream of the convicted Fort Hood shooter's execution.
Why it matters: Vance questioned whether the execution would actually be public but joined a small chorus of Republicans opposed to watching the execution, which is set to be conducted by a firing squad in December.
What they're saying: "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 told reporters on Friday.
- "Now that said, I mean, look, if it's all through livestream, I'm not going to be watching it."
Driving the news: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said in an interview Thursday that Americans would be able to watch the execution of Nidal Hasan, who was convicted of killing 13 people in the 2009 shooting.
- "We'll make sure that people are able to watch it...people need to understand that there's serious consequences for these types of things," he said.
- The AP later reported that the execution would be livestreamed.
- If it goes forward, Hasan's execution will be the first public one in 90 years, and the first military execution since 1961.
Zoom in: Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) condemned plans to make the execution public in a Thursday night X post.
- "Hasan should face the death penalty, but making his execution public and streaming it? Beyond disgusting. Public executions are what oppressive dictatorships like Iran and Afghanistan do. It should not be happening in America," the outgoing senator said.
- Utah Sen. John Curtis (R) said in an X post that "[b]roadcasting a death diminishes us and is not an effective deterrent."
- "A civilization erodes when it cultivates an appetite for executions as a form of entertainment. Secretary Hegseth's plan to livestream the Fort Hood execution risks feeding that appetite. The victims deserve justice administered with solemnity."
The other side: Some GOP politicians, like Rep. Andy Ogles (R-Tenn.), welcomed the livestream.
- "Excellent. Public execution is what this terrorist deserves. We will be watching," he said in a post on X.
Editor's note: This is a breaking news story and will be updated.
