President Trump has privately shared misgivings about livestreaming the firing-squad execution of a former Army major who murdered 13 people at Fort Hood in Texas, according to four people who have spoken with the president.
Why it matters: Trump has been deluged with "negative input" about the idea from a bipartisan chorus of lawmakers as well as advisers inside and outside of his White House, a senior administration official said.
- A livestream of former Army Maj. Nidal Hasan's execution on Dec. 3 "might not happen," Trump told one confidant, who doesn't work in the administration and shared the comment with Axios.
- "He didn't sound particularly enthusiastic" about webcasting the execution, the source said. "That's why he's calling around, doing the Trump thing, asking people what they think."
Zoom in: Hasan faces a firing squad at Fort Hood, where he went on his murderous shooting rampage 17 years ago. He would be the first person in the U.S. whose execution would be livestreamed.
- Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced the norm-shattering idea Thursday on Real America's Voice.
- "We'll make sure that people are able to watch it — that it's public — because people need to understand that there's serious consequences for these types of things," Hegseth said.
Zoom out: The idea was roundly condemned domestically and internationally. In the ensuing days, Trump started to publicly shift his positions:
- At first, Trump was full-throated in his support. "Absolutely, I approve," Trump told reporters early Friday evening.
- Later that night, Trump was more nuanced: "They want to do that because they want to set an example. I wasn't involved in that decision, but I understand the decision."
- On Saturday, Trump took control by telling reporters he would have the final say: "There are two thoughts: Don't show it and show it. 'Cause you know, by showing it, maybe other people won't be doing what he did. So I'll make a decision, ultimately. I know what the military would like to do, but we'll make a decision," the president told reporters at the White House.
Behind the scenes: Vice President Vance has signaled where he thinks the president is going with the decision, according to a source.
- "I don't know if that's actually going to happen," Vance, speaking off the cuff, told reporters Friday. He has privately repeated that to others.
- "I'm not going to be watching it," Vance said.
Between the lines: Trump, Vance and everyone else in the administration is clear about supporting Hasan's execution. But the president is grappling with competing pressures.
- "The president wants the bastard to pay, and a public execution might be that extra humiliation [Hasan] deserves," another confidant who spoke with the president said. "At the same time, he doesn't want to make the guy a martyr."
- Said another: "This is an old dude in a wheelchair we're shooting. We want to livestream that?" (Hasan, 56, was permanently injured when he was shot during his capture.)
Friction point: The divide in opinion over livestreaming the execution is another point of disagreement between Vance and Hegseth.
- They've been on opposite sides when it comes to the use of military force in Yemen and Iran, to the leadership of the Army.
- Advisers say the men have a good relationship.
Context: Whether at the state or federal level, executions often are witnessed only by family members or select media. They haven't been livestreamed.
- Executions used to be viewed in public squares, but that practice was discontinued in the 1930s, according to NPR.
- Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh's 2001 execution was viewable to loved ones and bombing survivors via a private closed-circuit telecast.
Flashback: Yelling "Allahu Akbar!" Hasan fatally shot 13 people — including a pregnant woman — and wounded 32 others on Nov. 5, 2009, when they lined up for medical checks at Fort Hood's Soldier Readiness Processing Center.
- The rampage was the worst terrorist attack on U.S. soil since 9/11.
- A special Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee report criticized the military for "political correctness" that blinded authorities to the major's increasingly clear Islamist radicalization.
The bottom line: Hasan will be executed unless something unexpected happens. The only real doubt is whether private citizens with no attachment to the case will be able to witness it.
- "If I had to bet, I would bet the president doesn't authorize this," said one administration official. "But I'm not gonna get ahead of the boss and try to predict what he'll do."
- "Hasan will be executed for his crimes," the official said, "and that's what matters."