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JD Vance casts doubt on firing squad execution and says he won't watch it
BBC • • nation
Key Points:
- US Vice-President JD Vance expressed skepticism about the Pentagon's plan to livestream the execution of Fort Hood shooter Nidal Hasan, stating he doubted it would actually happen and that he would not watch it if it did.
- Hasan, who killed 13 unarmed US soldiers in 2009, is set to be executed by firing squad—the first military execution in over 60 years—following the Pentagon's recent announcement.
- The plan to livestream the execution has faced bipartisan criticism, with Republican Senator John Curtis warning it could corrupt viewers and diminish the solemnity of justice, while Democratic Senator Chris Murphy called the idea "disgusting" and compared it to Islamic State executions.
- US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth defended the livestream, saying the public needs to understand the serious consequences of such crimes, but the US Conference of Catholic Bishops condemned the decision, expressing shock and sorrow.
- Vance highlighted Hasan's betrayal of his role as a mental health provider to soldiers, describing the 2009 attack as one of the worst terrorist acts on American soil outside of 9/11.
