October 12, 2026 — A Step Too Far? (Livestreaming an Execution)
Check out this week’s blog post by IP attorney and author Timothy Trainer, host of the podcast and video show Tim’s Travails • Follow Tim on Substack
By IP attorney and author Timothy Trainer
Image: Amazon.com
The reactions from GOP members of congress have been interesting in their opposition to Hegseth’s plan to livestream an execution. There seems to be some strong opinions that livestreaming this execution is a bad idea.
News-making statements from North Carolina’s outgoing Senator Tillis have been very interesting. At this point, the question is whether some of his statements are related to promoting his book that was just published. Sen. Thom Tillis Calls His Vote to Confirm Pete Hegseth the ‘Biggest Regret of My Career’ in New Memoir. The irony of the situation Tillis finds himself in, that of administration critic, is because he voted to confirm Hegseth despite his own stated questions regarding Hegseth’s character prior to casting the vote to confirm.
Like many other outgoing, retiring GOP members of congress, their willingness to be publicly critical occurs only after knowing they’ll not be retaining their seats in congress. Speaking out when there’s nothing on the line doesn’t require much courage.
Tillis is not objecting to the death penalty itself but the possibility of livestreaming. It seems it’s the latter point that caused him to make the comment in an interview that “This is not who we are”. Sen. Thom Tillis says he believes Trump’s fuel deal with Russia could be breaking the law.
Sorry, senator, but the GOP and the millions who have looked the other way as the country crumbles is definitely showing the world that this is exactly who we are.
Strangely, livestreaming an execution is the step too far for some of these GOP members. Apparently, the ability to see footage of ICE agents shooting people or throwing people to the ground on the streets isn’t a step too far. A president using federal prosecutors as his own private army of lawyers to seek indictments and prosecutions of political adversaries isn’t a step too far. Using the full force of the federal government to shut down constitutionally guaranteed rights isn’t a step too far (in other words, violating his oath to protect and defend the constitution).
The GOP standing aside and allowing Trump to make deals with Putin on diesel as he destroys our bilateral relations with Canada aren’t steps too far. Initiating a war with Iran that disrupts U.S. and global supply chains causing economic misery isn’t a step too far.
The evidence suggests that the GOP follows the maxim “see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil.” They prefer to avert their eyes from the illegality of Trump’s goons in the streets and in cabinet offices, cover their ears when Trump speaks and threatens people and countries and avoid saying anything that might anger their crime boss.
The GOP’s publicly expressed criticisms are made only when members are no longer up for re-election or need to demonstrate even a minimal amount of backbone (too little too late).
If the past 20 months have proved anything, it is that GOP members of congress want to be actors feigning anger at times at what the administration is or plans to do. GOP members of congress rarely take concrete steps to stop the illegal acts of this administration. A press release or a statement in an interview is nothing more than seeking time in front of a microphone, promoting a book or getting publicity.
Given all the actions of this administration that have undermined the United States militarily, economically, and geopolitically without overwhelming GOP congressional opposition and action in congress, the question is whether the GOP members opposing livestreaming are speaking out simply to appear politically correct.
About Timothy Trainer: Writing books is a passion for attorney Timothy Trainer, who for more than three decades focused on intellectual property issues in his day job. He has worked in government agencies and in the private sector, and his assignments have taken him to 60 countries around the world.
Tim found time to pen a few non-fiction tomes, including his first book, Customs Enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights;the 15th edition was published in 2022. Thomson Reuters’ Aspatore Books published Tim’s next title in 2015, Potato Chips to Computer Chips: The War on Fake Stuff.
Fiction was a genre he always wanted to try. In 2019, Pendulum Over the Pacific, was released by Joshua Tree Publishing. “This political intrigue story is set in Tokyo and Washington, D.C., and centers on trade tensions between the U.S. and Japan in the late 1980s,” Tim explains.
In 2023, his first series hit bookstores: The China Connection.
In 2025, he published the sequel, The China Factor, which ranked #63 on the Amazon Asian Literature list in May.
Coming this Fall 2026: The China Dilemma!
Click here to buy all of Tim’s books.
