Trump administration officials tend to oppose Live broadcast execution status A former Army major was convicted of killing 13 people at Fort Hood in 2009, sources familiar with the discussions said. Last week, the Pentagon said people would be able to watch the executions live.
Two sources told CBS News that President Trump had not made a final decision on Tuesday.
Spokesmen for the White House and Pentagon had no immediate comment.
Pressure from Congress and elsewhere not to broadcast Nidal Hassan’s execution live firing squadscheduled to be held on December 3.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said in an interview with “Real America” last Thursday that the Pentagon plans to make public executions.
“He’s going to get a firing squad of soldiers, and that’s what it should be,” Hegseth said. “We’re going to make sure people can watch it and it’s public – because people need to understand that there are serious consequences to this sort of thing.”
CNN reported earlier on Tuesday that Trump and his advisers were discussing whether to livestream the execution by firing squad, and Trump said privately that he was initially unaware that Hassan was paralyzed from the waist down.
In recent days, several top Republicans have expressed opposition to the live broadcast of Hassan’s execution, with Vice President Vance saying “I would not watch” if it were broadcast live.
As the president left for a campaign rally in Alaska on Tuesday, a reporter asked him if he would decide to allow live broadcasts of the executions. “We’re considering it,” Trump responded.
Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson also acknowledged colleagues who “have concerns” in an interview with CBS News national correspondent and chief Washington analyst Robert Costa. He added that one of the “concerns is that you are producing a film that will serve as a recruitment tool for future terrorists.” Johnson also said he would not watch the execution, telling Costa, “I need to tell some of my colleagues in the White House what they think about this, but not everyone is on board with the idea.”