U.S. Rep. Melanie Stansbury, a New Mexico Democrat and longtime critic of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, has accused the Trump administration of stripping the nation of its dignity after the Pentagon announced it will livestream the first firing squad execution carried out by the U.S. Army in generations. Her nine-word verdict, posted to X, landed amid a rare wave of bipartisan condemnation of a plan that Hegseth himself has defended as a lesson in consequences.
Stansbury’s Post
In a post on X timestamped 1:08 AM on Oct. 9, 2026, Stansbury wrote:
“This Administration is robbing our country of its dignity.”
Stansbury attached a CNN report by Haley Britzky headlined “Pentagon plans public livestream of its first firing squad execution in decades.” The post did not elaborate beyond that single sentence, leaving the attached reporting to supply the context for her criticism.
What the Pentagon Announced
CNN reported that the Pentagon said Thursday it will livestream the military’s first firing squad execution in decades, allowing the public to watch as Nidal Hasan, the man who killed 13 people in a 2009 mass shooting at Fort Hood, Texas, is put to death. Hegseth vowed earlier in the week to let the public watch the execution at the same Texas base where Hasan carried out the massacre.
Hegseth made the pledge in an interview with podcaster Jack Posobiec, whom CNN described as far-right, aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln on Wednesday. “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,” Hegseth said, according to CNN.
A Pentagon official said Thursday that the execution, which Hegseth recommended and President Donald Trump approved, “will be livestreamed,” and Hegseth confirmed it in a post on X. Acting Secretary of the Army Adam Telle set the execution for December 3 at 1 p.m. local time. “We’re going to do it at one o’clock, which is when he did it, and it’s going to be soldiers with rifles executing the firing squad,” Hegseth said.
How the Case Reached This Point
The path to the announcement began Monday, when chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said on X that Hasan would be executed by Army firing squad, a method Hegseth recommended and Trump approved. “Judgement day for Hasan has finally come,” Parnell wrote, adding that the Secretary of the Army would set the time and place.
Hasan, a former Army psychiatrist, was convicted in July 2013 of 13 counts of premeditated murder and 32 counts of attempted murder. During his trial, he told a panel of 13 officers that he was targeting soldiers who would deploy to Afghanistan and “were going to engage in an illegal war.” On the day of the shooting, he opened fire at the Fort Hood medical processing center, then followed fleeing soldiers outside, where he exchanged gunfire with police and was struck.
The execution would be the first of its kind carried out by the U.S. Army since World War II, and the first U.S. military execution of any kind since 1961, when a soldier was hanged. The administration added firing squad, electrocution and gas asphyxiation to the permitted methods of federal execution earlier this year. Hegseth said in the interview that he liked “the mentality we had in World War II, which was win. Which was understand when the enemy attacks you, you stand your ground.”
Bipartisan Condemnation
The pledge to let the public watch has drawn criticism from both parties. Republican Sen. Thom Tillis called it “beyond disgusting” late Thursday. “Public executions are what oppressive dictatorships like Iran and Afghanistan do. It should not be happening in America,” Tillis said on X.
Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy told CNN’s Erin Burnett that public executions are “medieval.” “I mean, that’s disgusting, what is he mimicking ISIS executions?” Murphy said. “That’s what America has become? That’s pretty extraordinary.”
A public livestream could also potentially violate Army regulations governing military capital punishment. Army Regulation 190-55 specifies who may witness a military execution and bars minors from watching. The Army’s provost marshal general, who oversees military law enforcement, may waive provisions of the regulation as long as the waiver does not violate the law or a higher binding regulation.
Stansbury’s Record on Hegseth
Stansbury’s post is the latest in a line of criticism she has directed at Hegseth since before he took office. On Jan. 15, 2025, following his Senate confirmation hearing, she released a statement opposing his nomination. “Pete Hegseth is simply unqualified to lead the Department of Defense and the men and women who proudly serve our country,” she said. “With a history of disparaging members of the U.S. military and veterans, a lack of basic understanding of the Department of Defense and national security matters, and disturbing and dangerous views on war crimes—Hegseth is unfit to serve as Secretary of Defense.”
She tied her opposition to her home state in the same release. “New Mexico is home to more than 14,000 active-duty service members and 140,000 veterans. It is our duty to support our military personnel, their families, and veterans at home and overseas,” Stansbury said. “Pete Hegseth clearly does not share that same sense of respect and responsibility to support members of the military and their families and to ensure our national security.”
What Comes Next
Stansbury represents New Mexico’s 1st Congressional District, which includes Albuquerque. She first won the seat in a 2021 special election. Her criticism now joins that of lawmakers from both parties who have questioned whether a public, livestreamed execution is consistent with American military practice and Army rules.
With the execution set for December 3, attention is likely to turn to whether the Army’s provost marshal general grants a waiver of Army Regulation 190-55, and how the livestream would be carried out. CNN reported that the Pentagon had initially referred questions about publicizing the execution to the Army, which did not respond to the network. It remains unclear whether Hasan will seek to challenge or delay his execution through further federal appeals.