Fox contributor Kaylee McGhee White on Friday defended Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s plan to publicly execute Fort Hood shooter Nidal Malik Hasan, arguing that while it may not be “tasteful,” it is “good” for Americans to be reminded that the nation’s laws “are backed by violence.”
White acknowledged that some view the move as going too far, but said the livestream serves a purpose beyond the public.
“I respect people that think it is a step too far. But I would argue that live streaming it is not for the benefit of the public; it’s for the benefit of the soldiers that were betrayed. It is for them,” White said.
Still, she argued there is a broader benefit to showing the execution.
“And I do actually think that there is a public benefit to this,” she said.
White explained that she believes society gains something from seeing the consequences of breaking the law firsthand.
“In that I think it is actually good for society to be reminded that our laws are not just words on a paper. They are backed by violence. Which is why they have any meaning at all,” White said.
She conceded the execution could be hard to watch, but said Americans have grown used to rarely needing force to uphold the law.
“And of course, it might be very distasteful to watch now, but we take for granted the fact that we rarely have to use violent methods to enforce the law,” she said.
White credited the nation’s history for that reality, invoking the country’s first president to make her case.
“And the only reason that is the case is because great men and women in our history physically carved those laws into our nation’s fabric. George Washington routinely approved public executions for mutiny, for desertion of the troops. That was a regular thing that happened in those times,” White said.
She argued the execution would serve both as a deterrent and as a reminder of the price paid to build and preserve the country.
“So I do think that there is a benefit in being reminded to what it costs to preserve civilization. And it’s good as a deterrent for future criminals, but also just as citizens to remind ourselves that it cost blood to build this nation,” White said. “And we take it for granted, and there is a benefit to preserving it, even if it may not be tasteful means.”
Not everyone agrees. The potential public execution has sparked outcry from many.
Among the critics is former White House press secretary Sean Spicer, who said on The Huddle podcast that the move sets a bad “precedent.” Spicer and his co-host Dan Turrentine also said they would be “surprised” if the livestream actually happens.
Hasan opened fire at the military base in 2009, killing 13 service members and wounding 32 others.
White’s comments mark a notable defense of Hegseth’s plan amid the backlash, framing the livestream as a tribute to the soldiers Hasan betrayed and a sobering reminder of what it takes to keep the rule of law intact.
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