JD Vance says he would not watch livestream of Nidal Hasan's execution

US Vice President JD Vance questioned on October 9 whether the Pentagon would carry out plans to livestream Nidal Hasan's execution. He told reporters he would not watch if the broadcast goes ahead.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the previous day that Hasan's execution by firing squad, planned for December, would be public and available to watch. The announcement drew criticism, including from some Republican members of Congress.

During a trip to Ohio, a reporter asked Vance how the proposed broadcast aligned with his Catholic faith. The vice president said he had seen the announcement but did not know whether it would happen. He separately made clear that he would not watch it himself.

Vance also urged people to remember the victims of the attack. Hasan, an Army psychiatrist, killed 13 people and wounded more than 30 at Fort Hood in Texas in 2009. He was later sentenced to death.

The vice president's remarks expressed his personal position on watching and his uncertainty about implementation. They did not amount to an official cancellation of the broadcast or the execution itself. CBS, AP and ABC reported Vance's comments.