Representative Chrissy Houlahan said President Donald Trump’s decision not to livestream the firing-squad execution of Nidal Hasan is the correct decision. She said the fact that Secretary Hegseth’s barbaric plan even made it to the desk of the president is as clear an illustration as any that Hegseth is dangerously unqualified. She said Secretary Hegseth must be fired. The Pennsylvania Democrat posted the statement on Thursday. No matching release appeared on her congressional site.
“This is the correct decision by President Trump,” Houlahan wrote Thursday. “The fact that Secretary Hegseth’s barbaric plan to livestream an execution even made it to the desk of the President is as clear an illustration as any that Hegseth is dangerously unqualified. Secretary Hegseth must be fired.” The post does not cite a specific regulation or statute. The characterizations are hers.
Trump announced the cancellation of the livestream on Thursday. He wrote on Truth Social that streaming the execution “might have been a strong deterrent for the World to witness how America deals with Terrorists and SCUM like Hasan” but that “many very good and well meaning people would rather not watch him die, through streaming, or through any other visual device.” He said Hasan “will die, as scheduled, by firing squad, but this event will not be streamed” and that immediate families of the victims may view it in person. The post is the record of the announcement. No White House release elaborates on the decision.
The Pentagon confirmed alignment. Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said President Trump and Secretary Hegseth spoke about the decision not to livestream the execution ahead of the Truth Social announcement. “The Secretary supports the President’s decision, and they are completely aligned,” Parnell said. The statement is the official Pentagon response. It does not address characterizations of the secretary’s qualifications or calls for his firing.
The Army order remains on the record. On Oct. 7 the Army issued an execution order for Hasan, the former major convicted of the 2009 Fort Hood shootings that killed 13 people and wounded 32 others. The order sets a firing squad for Dec. 3 at Fort Hood. Army Regulation 190-55 (30 October 2023) establishes procedures for military executions. Paragraph 2-5 authorizes a limited set of witnesses, including the commandant of the U.S. Disciplinary Barracks, execution team members, the prisoner’s counsel if requested, a minimum of two media representatives, and relatives of victims. It states that no person under the age of 18 shall witness the execution. The regulation does not address livestreaming or public broadcasting. The livestream plan originated with Hegseth’s public comments earlier in October.
Houlahan has previously addressed military and veteran issues. Her congressional bio identifies her as an Air Force veteran. Earlier posts on her account have concerned service members and defense accountability. The Thursday post does not cite them. It is limited to the livestream cancellation and the characterization of Hegseth as unqualified.
No Defense Department release posted this week responds to Houlahan’s statement or addresses the claim that the plan illustrated the secretary is dangerously unqualified. The reversal is documented in Trump’s post and Parnell’s confirmation. Houlahan’s post treats the cancellation as correct and the original plan as evidence of unfitness. That framing is hers.
“Correct decision,” “barbaric plan,” “dangerously unqualified,” and “must be fired” are Houlahan’s. The Thursday post, Trump’s announcement, Parnell’s statement, the Oct. 7 Army order, AR 190-55 paragraph 2-5, and the absence of a same-day Defense Department response to the characterization of qualifications are the records. The gap is between a representative stating that the secretary is dangerously unqualified and must be fired, and the absence of an official assessment of that claim on a government page.