President Trump delivered two contradictory answers to reporters at a Friday White House event, saying first that his team was still "making a determination" on whether to broadcast the firing squad execution of Fort Hood shooter Nidal Hasan, then — moments later, in the same exchange — telling a reporter that he had "absolutely" approved the plan. The pair of statements, delivered without resolution in between, have left the administration's real position on the broadcast unclear while the political fallout continues to grow.
The reversal is more than a messaging stumble. It puts the White House in the position of weighing a moment of historic military justice against the risk that cameras could transform a long-delayed execution into the most potent extremist recruitment material in recent memory.
