Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth is making America a national embarrassment, MS NOW's Jen Psaki warned on Friday's edition of "The Briefing."
The main issue this time: his plan to have a man shot by firing squad on livestream — a plan even some Republicans are coming out against.
"In case you missedit, yesterday, the Pentagonannounced that they want tohold a public execution of the Fort Hood shooter," said Psaki, adding that he wants it "livestreamedon the internet for the worldto see." She played a clip of him justifying it.
"No-brainer execution," said Hegseth to reporters. "Byfiring squad, he's going to geta firing squad of soldiers, asit should be, and we'll makesure that people are able to towatch it, that it's public,because people need tounderstand that this is aserious consequence for thesetypes of things."
"Hejust said, as it should be, hecalled it a no-brainer," said Psaki. "Thoseare the words the Secretary of Defense used to describe thefirst public execution inAmerica that he's proposingsince the 1930s." Moreover, she added, there was no TV or internet in the 1930s, so even a public execution back then wasn't what it would be now.
"Itshould come as no surprise thatpeople around the world sawthis announcement quitedifferently than he did," said Psaki, rattling off international newspapers' reactions. "Here's the headline in theBritish publication TheGuardian: 'Medieval' and 'disturbing' U.S. plan tolivestream execution elicitsglobal condemnation. UnitedNations called the plan 'abhorrent.' There's also thefact that just two countriesstill do public executions: Iranand Afghanistan. We would bethe third. It's not greatcompany to be in."
Furthermore, said Psaki, while even Vice President J.D. Vance has tried to distance himself from the whole thing, "President Trump himselfseemed inclined to go alongwith this plan."
Psaki cut to a clip of Trump saying that the shooter "will be killed" and that he enthusiastically supports the livestreaming of the execution.