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Why did Trump ban the Fort Hood execution livestream · DEEP INSIGHT

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Well, U.S. President Donald Trump says that the Pentagon will
• 0:02
  Speaker 1: not live stream the firing squad execution of a convicted
• 0:06
  Speaker 1: military base shooter. Now, the execution of Nadal Hassan, who
• 0:11
  Speaker 1: gunned down 13 people at Texas's Fort Hood back in 2009,
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  Speaker 1: is set for December. Trump canceled the planned live stream
• 0:20
  Speaker 1: after bipartisan criticism and after Vice President J.D. Vance said
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  Speaker 1: that he would not watch it. Earlier this month, Defense
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  Speaker 1: Secretary Pete Hexhaven said the former Army major's execution would
• 0:32
  Speaker 1: be made public. The Department of Defense confirmed that it
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  Speaker 1: would be live-streamed. No other country is known to live-stream
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  Speaker 1: judicial executions. All right, I want to go now to
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  Speaker 1: our correspondent, Benjamin Alvarez Gruber. He's on this story for us. Benjamin,
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  Speaker 1: the president now says that only immediate families or relatives
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  Speaker 1: of Hassan's victims... will be allowed to watch the execution
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  Speaker 1: in person. Why this reversal?
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  Speaker 2: So there was, as you just mentioned, that huge criticism,
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  Speaker 2: not only from military, from former military, but also bipartisan criticism, pushback.
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  Speaker 2: against this plan that was announced by Defense Secretary Pete Hexeth.
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  Speaker 2: But you mentioned that J.D. Vance, the vice president, was
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  Speaker 2: asked and he said, I would rather not watch it.
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  Speaker 2: So there were many questions surrounding this planned live stream
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  Speaker 2: of this execution set for the start of December. Indeed,
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  Speaker 2: it shows that there was not a collective or thought
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  Speaker 2: approach by this administration. They waited for a couple of days,
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  Speaker 2: but now we got this announcement, a lengthy social media
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  Speaker 2: post by President Trump. And indeed, the executions here in
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  Speaker 2: this country, there is a very tight entry requirement to
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  Speaker 2: actually see those executions. So close family members, journalists, witnesses,
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  Speaker 2: and there was fear that this might have unintended consequences,
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  Speaker 2: that they might lead other people to actually commit crimes.
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  Speaker 2: several of these crimes, several would be kind of inspired
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  Speaker 2: also by this attack in Texas that you mentioned there,
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  Speaker 2: or that he might even look as a martyr with
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  Speaker 2: those pictures and those videos basically being streamed worldwide.
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  Speaker 1: On Wednesday, we saw dozens of retired admirals and generals
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  Speaker 1: publish an open letter opposing the plan to live stream
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  Speaker 1: this execution. And they wrote that the live streaming, and
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  Speaker 1: I'm quoting here, turns what should be the solemn and
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  Speaker 1: grave punishment of a member of our society for committing
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  Speaker 1: the most serious crimes into a carnival for the enjoyment
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  Speaker 1: of voyeurs and spectators. How significant, Benjamin, is this pushback
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  Speaker 1: against the president and his defense secretary, Pete Hegseth?
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  Speaker 2: It is very significant to have members, former members of
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  Speaker 2: the military, 72 retired generals, admirals, military officers, sending this
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  Speaker 2: letter for the Pentagon. It's very significant. They called this
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  Speaker 2: live stream the idea, and I quote, a barbaric abuse
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  Speaker 2: of authority that would also turn this mass killer into
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  Speaker 2: a martyr. And also the fact that they are active
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  Speaker 2: military members that were already seeking an exemption from participating
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  Speaker 2: in in this execution show, that they were against the
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  Speaker 2: idea from the beginning, once it was actually mentioned by
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  Speaker 2: Defense Secretary Pete Texas. What is important here that we
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  Speaker 2: also need to mention, they are not against the capital
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  Speaker 2: punishment in this case, against the conviction, but they just
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  Speaker 2: were concerned about what image this would project, not just
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  Speaker 2: for the United States, also for the military. They will
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  Speaker 2: conduct this investigation this execution in early December, but also
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  Speaker 2: that there might be others inspired and there might be
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  Speaker 2: additional attacks on U.S. citizens. So it's very remarkable not
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  Speaker 2: only that they decided to make this publicly to voice
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  Speaker 2: their concerns and that adds up to the criticism, bipartisan
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  Speaker 2: criticism from both Democrats and Republicans once this plan was
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  Speaker 2: announced by Hexeth.
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  Speaker 1: And Benjamin, the fact that a live streamed execution was
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  Speaker 1: even considered, what does that tell us then about the
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  Speaker 1: notion of justice and punishment within the halls of power
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  Speaker 1: in the United States?
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  Speaker 2: So I think we need to be careful to not
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  Speaker 2: overgeneralize by this idea. We don't know how many people
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  Speaker 2: came up with this. Secretary Hexeth said this during an interview.
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  Speaker 2: with U.S.
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  Speaker 1: Media.
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  Speaker 2: This has never happened before. We don't know where this
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  Speaker 2: idea came from. And by getting this immediate reaction, I
• 5:00
  Speaker 2: think Vice President J.D. Vance commented on it briefly after
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  Speaker 2: this idea was first announced, but it shows this debate
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  Speaker 2: that happened afterwards show that there are mixed reactions, not
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  Speaker 2: only to the live streaming, but also of the idea
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  Speaker 2: of the death penalty itself. There are concerns, transparency, accountability
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  Speaker 2: also in the public. And it shows when we look
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  Speaker 2: at the United States that these discussions are happening, not
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  Speaker 2: only about the fact that this idea of the live
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  Speaker 2: stream that has now been canceled by the U.S. president,
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  Speaker 2: but the fact what does it actually make of a
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  Speaker 2: society that has a death penalty in place? Yeah.
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  Speaker 1: DW's Benjamin Alvarez Gruber with the latest tonight from Washington. Benjamin,
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  Speaker 1: as always, thank you.