1. United States
2. N.C.
3. Letter

I am writing as your constituent to express my profound objection to the Pentagon’s announced plan to livestream the execution by firing squad of Nidal Hasan, scheduled for December 3, 2026. This would be the first military execution in more than 60 years and the first public execution in the United States in nearly a century. I strongly urge you to publicly oppose this decision and to exercise congressional oversight to prevent the Department of Defense from turning a solemn act of military justice into a public spectacle. I want to be clear: my objection is not rooted in sympathy for Hasan or in any doubt about the gravity of his crimes. He murdered 13 unarmed soldiers and wounded more than 30 others at Fort Hood in 2009, and he has never claimed innocence. The families of the victims and the survivors deserve justice and closure. But justice and spectacle are not the same thing, and the decision to livestream this execution is a profound mistake that will harm our nation’s moral standing, endanger our security, and undermine the very principles we claim to uphold. The death penalty itself is a matter of serious moral and legal debate, and I respect that Americans of good faith disagree on it. But whatever one’s position on capital punishment, livestreaming an execution is beyond the pale. It is cruel, it is dangerous, and it is beneath the dignity of the United States. Hasan’s crimes were horrific, but responding with a public spectacle does not honor his victims—it exploits them. It does not strengthen the rule of law—it makes a mockery of it. And it does not make us safer—it makes us a recruiting poster for our enemies. I respectfully urge you to take the following actions: 1 Publicly denounce the Pentagon’s plan to livestream Hasan’s execution and call on Secretary Hegseth to reverse the decision. Bipartisan voices—including Senators Reed, Tillis, Murkowski, and Curtis, and Representatives Crow and Smith—have already spoken out. Your voice would add needed weight. 2 Exercise congressional oversight. The House and Senate Armed Services Committees should demand transparency regarding the legal authority for this livestream, the financial arrangements (including any potential monetization), and the consultation process that led to this decision. A letter from former national security officials has already raised serious questions about whether the execution could be used for “commercial gain or partisan political propaganda”. Congress must investigate. 3 Support legislative or regulatory action to ensure that no future military execution is livestreamed or otherwise made available to the public for entertainment or political purposes. The default should be the solemn, limited-witness procedure prescribed by Army Regulation 190- I urge you to act swiftly and forcefully. Please let me know what steps you plan to take.