US Homeland Security chief dismisses concerns over live execution broadcast

US Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin has defended plans to livestream the execution of Nidal Hasan, dismissing warnings that footage of him being shot could become a propaganda tool for extremist groups.

In an interview with CBS News' Face the Nation on Sunday, Mullin described the decision as part of President Donald Trump's tough-on-crime approach.

"I follow President Trump. He's the commander-in-chief of the country," Mullin said, crediting the Republican leader with having "restored American values."

Mullin also rejected concerns that images of Hasan's execution could be used against the United States.

"I don't see any increased risk at this point because of that," Mullin said. "I think people need to understand that if you attack America, we will come after you, and we will make sure the punishment fits the crime."

Hasan, a former US Army major, was sentenced to death in August 2013 after being convicted of shooting dead 12 unarmed active-duty soldiers and one retired service member at the Fort Hood military base in Texas.

The attack took place on November 5, 2009, when Hasan opened fire at a medical facility on the base where soldiers were undergoing routine pre-deployment health checks. It is regarded as one of the deadliest mass shootings at a US military base.

Another 32 people were wounded in the shooting. During the response, base police shot Hasan, leaving him paralysed from the waist down.

Critics question the imagery of broadcasting the shooting of a man in a wheelchair. The live execution is scheduled for December 3.

Mullin, however, dismissed those concerns, arguing that watching is voluntary. "Again, no one has to watch if they don't choose to watch," Mullin said.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced plans to livestream the upcoming execution last week, sparking criticism. But on Saturday, Trump suggested the decision could be reconsidered.

"There are two schools of thought: don't broadcast and broadcast. Because, you know, by broadcasting, maybe other people won't do what he did," Trump told reporters outside the White House.

"So ultimately I'll make the decision. I know what the military wants to do, but we'll make a decision."

Lawmakers from both parties, however, have condemned the idea of a public execution.

Appearing on NBC's Meet the Press on Sunday morning, Republican Senator Thom Tillis warned that broadcasting Hasan's death would "put at risk" the lives of Americans.

"Terrorist organizations will use this as a recruitment tool. It will radicalise others, and this is not who we are," Tillis said.

"The Fort Hood shooter should be executed, but there's a right way to handle it, and there's a more wrong way than anything I have ever seen in my life."

Tillis, who is leaving the Senate in January, also criticised Hegseth over what he called reckless leadership.

"This is another example of why Pete Hegseth and all of his theatrics need to leave the Department of Defense, because he is a failed leader," Tillis said.

The senator was once seen as a pivotal vote in Hegseth's confirmation in January 2025, and later called his support for Hegseth's cabinet nomination the "biggest regret" of his tenure.

Other Republicans echoed Tillis' concerns about the livestream. Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski, for instance, compared a public execution to what she would expect "from terrorists and dictators."

She also argued that Hasan sought public attention, which he would receive in a televised execution.

"It gives this undeserved person the martyrdom he sought," Murkowski added.

Michigan Republican Representative Tom Barrett, a former service member, issued a statement on Friday explaining that he had trained at Fort Hood a year before the attack.

He also said he opposed a public execution, though he described Hasan as "evil."

"Secretary Hegseth should seriously reconsider this decision," Barrett wrote on X.

"Turning an already tragic situation into a public spectacle is unnecessary and does not serve the public interest."

Military executions are extremely rare in the US and can only be approved by the president under the Uniform Code of Military Justice.

If the execution order for Hasan is carried out, he would be the first US service member executed since 1961.