Trump debates calling off livestream of firing squad execution after learning Fort Hood shooter was paralyzed

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President Donald Trump and his advisers are debating whether to call off plans to livestream the firing squad execution of the Fort Hood shooter, with Trump having remarked privately that he did not initially know that Nidal Hasan was paralyzed from the waist down, two sources familiar with the discussions told CNN.

The president was not aware that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was announcing last week that the administration planned to let the public watch the execution, the sources said, and was not sure what to make of it at first. Trump was, however, firmly behind the decision to execute Hasan via firing squad , multiple officials told CNN, and he’s often defended it in public.

And even after Hegseth posted on X on Thursday confirming that the Pentagon planned to livestream the execution, Trump polled several of his advisers and allies about how to proceed.

It was during the those conversations that Trump learned Hasan was paralyzed from the waist down — he was shot in the back by law enforcement during the 2009 shooting at Ford Hood — and that he now uses a wheelchair, the sources said, which made showing the execution publicly less palatable to the president.

One of the sources familiar with the discussions pointed to Trump’s deep understanding of imagery as a key reason why he may decide to ditch plans for the livestream. The president has also listened to the argument that a public execution by firing squad could serve as propaganda for foreign adversaries and terrorists to try to paint Hasan as a martyr, a Trump adviser told CNN.

The White House on Tuesday referred CNN to the president’s comments on Saturday in which he acknowledged “two thoughts” about what to do and said he’d make the ultimate decision.

“He was vicious. He was violent,” Trump told reporters about Hasan over the weekend. “There are two thoughts: Don’t show it and show it. Because, 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 Pentagon is also reevaluating plans to fully livestream the execution, according to a source familiar with the discussions. Even if there is a broadcast of the event, the source said, it will likely be cut before shots are fired, in part, due to concerns that the moment could offer a propaganda opportunity for terrorist groups.

Hegseth’s office has not responded to additional requests for comment about whether plans to livestream the execution have changed.

The plan to livestream the execution has faced bipartisan backlash, and people across the Pentagon and the Army were caught off guard, CNN has previously reported .

Trump told reporters on Friday that he was not involved but said, “I understand the decision,” adding that some people “want to set an example” by livestreaming the execution.

Hegseth had initially recommended death by firing squad for Hasan — who was convicted of killing 13 people and wounding dozens of others — and Trump approved it.

The execution, which is scheduled for December 3 at Fort Hood, would be the US Army’s first such execution of a soldier since World War II and its first imposition of any death penalty on an armed service member in 65 years.

A US-born citizen of Palestinian descent, Hasan said he was targeting soldiers he was set to deploy with to Afghanistan and wanted to protect the Taliban and its leaders from the US military.

CNN’s Zachary Cohen contributed to this report.

Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images

据 CNN 报道，两名知情人士透露，唐纳德·特朗普总统和他的顾问正在讨论是否取消直播对胡德堡枪击案凶手行刑队的枪决计划。特朗普曾私下表示，他最初并不知道尼达尔·哈桑腰部以下瘫痪。

消息人士称，总统并不知晓国防部长皮特·赫格塞斯上周宣布政府计划让公众观看处决，起初他也对此感到困惑。然而，多位官员告诉CNN，特朗普坚决支持以枪决方式处决哈桑，并且他经常在公开场合为这一决定辩护。

即使赫格塞斯周四在 X 上发帖证实五角大楼计划直播行刑，特朗普还是就如何进行下一步征询了几位顾问和盟友的意见。

消息人士称，正是在这些谈话中，特朗普得知哈桑腰部以下瘫痪——他在 2009 年福特胡德枪击案中被执法人员从背后开枪击中——而且现在使用轮椅，这使得总统更难以接受公开处决哈桑。

一位知情人士指出，特朗普对图像的深刻理解可能是他最终决定放弃直播计划的关键原因之一。一位特朗普顾问告诉CNN，总统也听取了这样一种观点：公开枪决可能会被外国敌对势力和恐怖分子利用，将哈桑塑造成烈士。

白宫周二向 CNN 转述了总统周六的讲话，总统在讲话中承认自己对该怎么做有“两种想法”，并表示他将做出最终决定。

“他很凶残，很暴力，”特朗普周末对记者谈到哈桑时说。“有两种想法：要么不表现出来，要么表现出来。因为，你知道，表现出来或许能阻止其他人效仿他。所以，最终我会做出决定。我知道军方想怎么做，但我们会做出决定。”

据一位知情人士透露，五角大楼正在重新评估全程直播处决的计划。该消息人士称，即便最终决定直播，也可能在枪声响起前就被切断，部分原因是担心这一时刻可能为恐怖组织提供宣传机会。

对于是否更改行刑直播计划的进一步置评请求，赫格塞斯办公室尚未作出回应。

据 CNN 此前报道，直播处决的计划遭到了两党人士的强烈反对，五角大楼和陆军的许多人都对此措手不及。

特朗普周五告诉记者，他没有参与此事，但他表示“我理解这个决定”，并补充说，有些人“想通过直播行刑来树立一个榜样”。

赫格塞斯最初建议对哈桑处以枪决——哈桑被判处杀害 13 人、致数十人受伤——而特朗普批准了这一建议。

此次死刑将于 12 月 3 日在胡德堡执行，这将是美国陆军自二战以来首次处决士兵，也是 65 年来首次对武装部队成员执行死刑。

哈桑是一名在美国出生的巴勒斯坦裔公民，他说他的目标是即将与他一起部署到阿富汗的士兵，他想保护塔利班及其领导人免受美军的伤害。

CNN的扎卡里·科恩对本报道亦有贡献。