Republican concerns mount over livestreaming Fort Hood shooter’s execution

Updated on: October 12, 2026 / 1:36 PM EDT / CBS News

Washington — A growing number of Republicans are voicing concern over the Pentagon's plan to livestream the execution of the Fort Hood shooter in December — or at the very least, saying they won't be watching.

Over the weekend, President Trump said the administration was still making a determination about whether the firing-squad execution would be livestreamed, after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced that it would be. The execution of Nidal Hasan, the ex-Army major convicted of the 2009 killing of 13 people at Fort Hood, is scheduled for Dec. 3.

House Speaker Mike Johnson told CBS News that some in the House Republican conference don't approve, and said he planned on bringing those concerns to the White House.

"There are colleagues who have concerns," Johnson told national correspondent and chief Washington analyst Robert Costa in an interview. "The concern would be that you would create a video that would be a recruiting tool for future terrorists. You know, we've got to think through the policy implications of all that. I wouldn't be watching it if it was aired. But there's a lot of opinions on that. I…

Original source: https://www.cbsnews.com/entertainment/