ohnson, R-La., voiced similar sentiments.

For his part, the president has defended his decision to approve the use of a firing squad, but had for days distanced himself from Hegseth's announcement that it would be public.

 Well, they're making a determination about that,  Trump said Friday when asked about the livestream. As for Hasan and the method of execution, Trump said then:  He will be killed. He will be, through firing squad. I really don't care how he goes, as long as he goes. And I think the death penalty is a very worthy way of going for him. 

Hasan, an Army psychiatrist who held the rank of major, walked into a medical building on Nov. 5, 2009, where soldiers were waiting in long lines to receive immunizations and medical clearance for deployment. He shouted  Allahu akbar  - Arabic for  God is great!  - and opened fire with a laser-sighted handgun. He also shot at the backs of soldiers fleeing toward the parking lot.

Hasan said it was an effort to stop them from going to Afghanistan and killing his fellow Muslims. A military judge barred him from presenting that as a defense during his 2013 trial. Hasan was left paralyzed from the waist down after being shot in the back by law enforcement, and he now uses a wheelchair.

Hasan could seek a lengthy delay of his execution, though given his behavior at trial, he may not want to.

The U.S. military hasn't executed a service member by firing squad since World War II. The last military execution took place on April 13, 1961, when Army Pvt. John Bennett was executed by hanging.

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Associated Press writer Konstantin Toropin contributed to this report.