Last year, only two countries killed their own citizens in public displays: Iran’s theocratic regime led the way with 11 public executions, and Afghanistan, now led by the Taliban, hosted six.

Last week, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced that he intends to have the United States join this ignominious club. When former Army Maj. Nidal Hasan is put to death in December, likely by firing squad, the Pentagon chief wants the execution to be livestreamed. Sounding very much like Iranian and Taliban leaders, the former Fox News host said Thursday, “We’ll make sure that people are able to watch it, that it’s public, because people need to understand that there’s serious consequences for these types of things.”

Whether or not Hegseth expected a backlash, it arrived quickly. Several service members have already made clear that they do not want to participate in such a deadly spectacle, and a surprising number of congressional Republicans joined countless Democrats in saying they oppose such a barbaric display, despite their support for Hasan’s execution.

Complicating matters, JD Vance said he has no intention of watching the execution — the vice president also questioned whether the public display is “actually going to happen” — and House Speaker Mike Johnson similarly said he wouldn’t tune in, adding that he’d heard from members who expressed concern about the video becoming a recruitment tool for terrorists.

With this in mind, on CBS’ “Face the Nation,” host Margaret Brennan reminded Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin that Hasan is in a wheelchair and asked, “Doesn’t the administration risk livestreaming this and making him a martyr to his cause? Couldn’t this be a risk to the homeland?”

The Oklahoma Republican replied, “No one has to watch it.”

That’s true, I suppose, though his point was also irrelevant. Pressed further on why the administration intends to livestream it, Mullin opted for one of the worst possible defenses.

Instead of trying to defend the policy on the merits, the DHS chief told Brennan that he simply follows Donald Trump, who’s “restoring America values.”

And nothing says “restoring America values” more than inviting people to watch someone get shot to death by a firing squad?

As for whether the plan will proceed, the president told reporters Friday afternoon that he “absolutely” played a direct role in approving the policy, although he added in the same Q&A that his administration is still “making a determination” about the details surrounding Hasan’s upcoming execution.

A day later, however, Trump took a slightly different line, saying he wasn’t involved in the plan to livestream the execution and suggesting that a final decision is still in the works, contrary to Hegseth’s comments from Thursday.

“There are two thoughts: don’t show it, and show it,” Trump added Saturday. “By showing it, maybe other people won’t be doing what he did. I’ll make a decision, ultimately.”

In the meantime, the backlash continues. Retired Adm. William McRaven — perhaps best known to Americans as the Navy SEAL who oversaw the 2011 raid that killed Osama bin Laden — wrote a piece for The Atlantic, in which he made the case in support of our actual national vales:

It’s not naive to think that we should have a sense of propriety when carrying out the harsh business of justice; to believe in our national sense of honor; and to expect our leaders to behave with dignity, integrity, civility, and humility. These values build stronger, smarter, more humane societies. They engender good alliances. They drive trust in businesses and higher education and they inspire our men and women in uniform. […]

There is nothing noble about a public display of a government-sanctioned execution. With this decision, the Trump administration continues to undermine our national values. Our current leaders are shameless and ignoble. They have no sense of dignity or honor. They seem to believe that the performance of cruel power is what makes a nation great: the spectacle, the show, the crude theatrics of a tough guy. Nothing could be further from the truth. Just ask the oppressed people of Iran and Afghanistan.

As things stand, Hasan is scheduled to be killed on Dec. 3. Watch this space.

This post updates our related earlier coverage.

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