Dumpster fire instead of firing squad
Donald Trump has canceled Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s plan to livestream the December 3 firing squad execution of Fort Hood shooter Nidal Hasan. Trump reportedly changed course after supposedly just learning Hasan uses a wheelchair. That is hard to believe, since Hasan has been paralyzed since his 2009 attack.
In fact, the plan drew loud opposition from across the political spectrum. First, critics, including Republican Senator Thom Tillis, pointed out that it copied the playbook of dictatorships like Iran and Afghanistan. As Republican Congressman Rob Bresnahan put it, the focus should be on justice for the victims and their families, not entertainment.
Moreover, as described by Archbishop Paul Coakley, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, the livestream execution idea was “a barbaric promotion of a culture of death.” More than 60 soldiers had voiced religious objections to taking part in a livestreamed firing squad.
Critics also feared the plan would hand America’s foes a propaganda weapon. Conservative talk show host Erick Erickson warned that the livestream would give Hasan the “platform for martyrdom he wants” and predicted that the video would inspire more terrorists to attack Americans. Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senator Kevin Cramer gave similar warnings as well.
Furthermore, National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers President C. Melissa Owen warned that broadcasting the execution of a Muslim American invited the suspicion that he was being made an example of for his faith and his origins as much as for his crimes.
Finally, hours before Trump’s announcement, a Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos poll found that 80 percent of Americans opposed streaming Hasan’s execution live. We think it’s more likely that Trump succumbed to this political pressure. The reported wheelchair explanation removes that pressure from the story and makes it seem Trump decided on one fact alone, which conveniently makes him look more humanitarian.
In fact, there was plenty of White House wobbling over the execution livestream idea. Trump first told reporters he approved the livestream plan. He then distanced himself from Hegseth’s announcement and next said he would personally decide whether to proceed, all while reportedly sharing private misgivings amid objections from a bipartisan chorus of lawmakers. Vice President JD Vance himself questioned whether the livestream would happen and said he would tune out if it did.
As a result of this flip-flop, Trump now looks more weak and indecisive. His new press secretary, Katie Zacharia, has departed after just five days on the job, further adding to the sense of White House disarray. With the midterm elections arriving November 3 (and millions of Americans already able to vote early), Republicans trail Democrats by 8.9 points on the generic ballot in Nate Silver’s polling average. Tying themselves to a president who increasingly seems like a lame duck probably won’t help.
Photo by EFF Photos, used under Creative Commons license. https://tinyurl.com/wk4c2pcu
