Mike Johnson urges Donald Trump to cancel execution livestream plan

House Speaker Mike Johnson encouraged President Donald Trump on Monday to reverse his decision to livestream the planned execution of Fort Hood mass shooter Nidal Hasan. According to the New York Post, The Washington Post, The Independent, The Hill, and Raw Story, Johnson warned that broadcasting the execution by firing squad could create a video that would then become a recruiting tool for future terrorists. [1][2][6][7][9]

Johnson told CBS News that policymakers must think through the implications, adding that he would not be watching if the event were aired. The New York Post reported that the Republican House speaker noted many of his fellow party members share similar concerns about broadcasting the killing. [1]

Separately, the South China Morning Post reported that a prominent United States archbishop urged Catholic soldiers in the U.S. Army not to participate in the firing squad. The Pentagon is planning to execute Hasan on December 3. [3]

Hasan killed 13 people and injured 32 others during a mass shooting at Fort Hood in November 2009. He was convicted of premeditated murder and sentenced to death at a 2013 court-martial, where he stated the killings were an act of jihad. As FTMQ News reported earlier, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth previously proposed livestreaming the execution, drawing criticism from politicians in both major parties. [11][14][15][16]