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.