United States Vice President JD Vance has raised uncertainty about whether the planned live broadcast of a firing squad execution will actually take place, according to RTP. The execution in question is that of Nidal Malik Hasan, who was sentenced to death in 2013.
Vance's comments came after an announcement that the execution would be shown live. In his first remarks on the matter, President Trump said that evening that no decision had been made, RTP reports.
The statements leave the status of the broadcast unresolved. RTP reported Vance's doubt and Trump's comment that a decision is still pending, with neither offering a firm timeline for when that decision might come.
Hasan is a military officer who was condemned to death in 2013, a case that has drawn renewed attention amid the discussion of broadcasting the execution. Reporting on the case has described the planned event as the first public execution in the United States in 90 years, though that characterization comes from other outlets and not from RTP's account.
The back-and-forth between the vice president's remarks and the president's comment suggests the administration has not settled on a final position. Vance's statement marked the first time he had addressed the subject publicly, while Trump's remarks indicated the question remains open at the highest level.
What to watch next: whether the White House issues a definitive decision on carrying out the broadcast, and whether Vance or Trump clarifies their position further.
