Stunned Democratic Senator on CNN Learns of Hegseth’s Plan To Execute Prisoner on Livestream: ‘That’s Disgusting’

Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) was flabbergasted to learn during a CNN interview that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth plans to livestream the execution of the Fort Hood shooter, reacting, “That’s disgusting.”

Hegseth revealed earlier on Thursday that he wanted the execution of Nidal Malik Hasan, the former Army psychiatrist who killed 13 people in the 2009 Fort Hood mass shooting, to be made public.

President Donald Trump approved Hasan’s execution by firing squad earlier this week, following a recommendation from Hegseth. Hasan was sentenced to death in 2013 for the massacre at the Texas military installation.

Speaking to conspiracy theorist Jack Posobiec of Real America’s Voice aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, Hegseth called the decision a “no-brainer” and said he wanted the execution carried out at Fort Hood, at the same time of day as the shooting, by soldiers armed with rifles.

The Pentagon subsequently announced that the execution would be livestreamed, with Hegseth making clear that he wanted the public to witness it, arguing that people needed to understand there were “serious consequences for these types of things.”

Murphy joined Thursday evening’s edition of CNN’s OutFront, where host Erin Burnett first told him about the news, before playing a clip of Hegseth’s comments aboard the Lincoln.

At Burnett’s mention of the word “livestream,” the Democratic senator rolled his eyes in disgust.

“Senator, the execution by firing squad,” the CNN anchor began, prompting an audible groan of exasperation from Murphy, “would be the first of its kind carried out by the United States Army since World War II. Obviously, livestreaming it for anybody to be able to watch it for themselves is unprecedented. Your reaction?”

Stammering a bit, Murphy said, “I actually hadn’t seen that video. That’s the first time, um, that I’m learning he’s gonna televise it.”

He continued:

I mean, that’s disgusting. What, is he mimicking ISIS executions? I mean, I understand that in this country we have the death penalty, but public execution is medieval. It’s frankly one of the things that we abhor about terrorist groups, and the fact that the United States is doing it — I just learned this.

That is just absolutely extraordinary, galling. No matter whether you support or oppose the death penalty, public hangings and executions? That’s what America has become? Um, that’s, that’s pretty extraordinary.

Watch above on CNN.

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