Top row
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin has defended the Trump administration’s plans to live-stream the shooting death of Nidal Hasan, the former Army psychiatrist who killed 13 people during the 2009 Fort Hood shooting, insisting that “no one should watch it” after several Republican-elected officials criticized the idea.
Getty Images
Important Facts
Talking to CBS News’ On “Face the Nation” on Sunday, Mullin called Hasan “a bully” and “an idiot,” and said he has “no feelings for him at all.”
“Nobody should watch it if they don’t vote,” Mullin said, insisting the event would go ahead because “I’m rooting for President Trump,” when asked why it would be broadcast live in the first place.
When asked by reporters about a possible live broadcast on Saturday, President Donald Trump said he would “make a decision eventually,” days after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said. live streaming of the army’s first mass shooting since 1945 was to be made available to the public.
Since Hegseth’s announcement, several Republican elected officials, and religious leaders, have spoken out against the idea.
What do the Republicans say?
Sen. Thom Tillis, RN.C., called these programs “beyond disgusting” send to X on Thursday. “Genocide is what oppressive dictators like Iran and Afghanistan do. It shouldn’t be happening in America,” Tillis wrote. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, echoed those words in her criticism of the live stream, adding that it would “give this man, who doesn’t deserve to be famous again, the martyrdom he wants.” Other Republican members of Congress also came out against the idea on social media over the weekend, including some who face incredibly competitive elections during the upcoming terms. “Killing should not be a live broadcast spectacle. The focus should be on justice for the victims and their families, not turning the killing into entertainment,” Rep. Rob Bresnahan, R-Pa., he wrote on Friday, when Rep. Tom Barrett, R-Mich., recommended Hegseth is “rethinking” the plans.
Important Quote
When asked on “Bhekana Nesizwe” about whether he was worried the live-streamed execution would make Hasan a martyr or create a serious risk to stability, Mullin said: “I don’t see a high risk right now because of this.”
What do the Faith Leaders say?
“It is absolutely impossible for Hassan’s actions to be condoned, but this decision is a brutal promotion of the culture of death and must be reconsidered,” said Archbishop Paul S. Coakley, president of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops, in a statement on Friday. The Catholic Church opposes the death penalty, and Pope Leo XIV reiterated this on Saturday—calling it “forbidden” send to X without specifically mentioning the proposed live stream. Vice President JD Vance, a devout Catholic, it asked whether the live broadcast will actually happen after being asked about it on Friday. “If it ends up going live, I won’t watch it,” Vance said at the time. Other Evangelical leaders also expressed concern. Walter Kim, president of the National Association of Evangelicals, condemned Hasan, but also condemned the live killings. “Live-streamed mass shootings risk turning one of the country’s most important responsibilities into a public spectacle, promoting a culture of death, rather than a culture that elevates the dignity of everyone,” Kim wrote on the website X. Some prominent evangelicals support this view. Robert Jeffress, pastor of First Baptist Church, a large church in Dallas with more than 16,000 members, said he supports the idea in a letter he wrote on Facebook. Jeffress wrote: “Great punishment is commanded by God in Genesis 9:6 to remind people of the sanctity of human life.” “The more people who can see that truth shown through public execution, the better,” Jeffress wrote.
What did Trump say?
“There are two thoughts – don’t show it, and show it. Because you know by showing it, maybe some people won’t do what he did,” Trump. he told reporters on Saturday. So I will make a decision in the end. I know what the military would like to do, but we will make a decision.” Trump called Hasan “vicious” and “violent” for the 2009 attack on Fort Hood in Texas. Hasan admitted to the attack during his trial, which killed 13 people and injured more than 30.
