Trump approves firing squad for Fort Hood killer — nearly 17 years after the massacre

BS BULLETIN:

President Trump approved execution by Army firing squad for convicted Fort Hood murderer Nidal Hasan.
Pete Hegseth recommended the method; the Army secretary will determine the time and place.
Hasan killed 13 people and wounded 32 in 2009. No execution date has been announced, and further court challenges remain possible.

Nearly 17 years after Nidal Hasan murdered 13 people at Fort Hood, President Donald Trump has approved carrying out his death sentence by an Army firing squad.

The Pentagon announced the decision Monday, saying Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth recommended the execution method and Trump approved it. The Army secretary will set the time and place; neither has been publicly announced.

Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell put it bluntly: “Judgement day for Hasan has finally come.” Hegseth responded to the announcement with one word: “Justice.”

The calendar supplies some perspective on that word “finally.”

Hasan opened fire at Fort Hood’s Soldier Readiness Processing Center on November 5, 2009. A military jury convicted him in 2013 of 13 counts of premeditated murder and 32 counts of attempted premeditated murder, and sentenced him to death. He has been held at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.

At trial, the Army psychiatrist acknowledged being the shooter and described himself as a soldier who had “switched sides.” He said he acted to prevent American troops from going to Afghanistan and killing fellow Muslims.

Trump’s approval is a major step, but it does not mean an execution is imminent. Associated Press reporting notes that a federal habeas corpus challenge could delay proceedings, potentially for years. If carried out, this would be the first execution in the military justice system since 1961.

Opposition arrived, too. Death Penalty Action, a group opposed to capital punishment, attacked the president’s decision, saying: “There is nothing Donald Trump loves more than the power to kill.”

That reaction targets Trump’s motives. The sentence itself came from a military jury more than 13 years ago.

MY QUICK TAKE:

Folks, nearly 17 years. Let that sink in.

The families have lived with their losses every day. Survivors have lived with the consequences. And the man convicted of committing the massacre remains alive while the process continues.

I support Trump’s decision to approve the sentence. This case went to trial, produced convictions and resulted in a death sentence. Carrying it out is a responsibility that presidents have to confront.

People can oppose capital punishment. They can make that argument plainly. But turning this announcement into another diagnosis of Trump’s personality conveniently moves the victims out of the center of the story.

Keep them there.

The country owes these families more than an occasional anniversary remembrance. It owes them a justice system that follows through on its lawful judgments.

Hegseth said “Justice.” After this many years, the next question is when.