USA25 August, 20262 min read
Air Force Major Jason Watson Faces UCMJ Charges After Calling for Trump and JD Vance Impeachment
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Maj. Jason Watson, a U.S. Air Force officer, publicly called for impeachment of Trump and Vance. He faces ten UCMJ counts, including Article 88, Article 92, and Article 133.
8 outlets told this the same way.
Watson charged under UCMJ
An active-duty U.S. Air Force officer, Maj. Jason Watson, was criminally charged after he publicly called for President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance to be impeached and removed, with the Air Force confirming the charges on Tuesday.
The Hill reported that Watson is accused of breaking multiple military laws, including three Article 88 violations for making “contemptuous” remarks about Trump, five Article 92 violations for disobeying orders, and two Article 133 violations for conduct unbecoming an officer.
Reuters said the charges were referred on Monday and that Watson denounced Trump and Vance last month for actions including going to war with Iran without congressional authorization, according to a video of the protest event posted online.
The Hill also said Watson would continue to be held in pre-trial confinement and that “Airmen are afforded the right to due process, and considered innocent until proven guilty, in accordance with the Uniform Code of Military Justice,” while the Air Force declined to release additional evidence details at this time.
Lawyer and Air Force responses
Watson’s lawyer, Christopher Mutimer, told Reuters that “Major Watson acted knowing the risks to his career and his liberty,” and he said it was his hope that other Americans would take “some measure of courage” from Watson’s willingness to speak.
The Air Force spokesperson, as quoted by The Hill, said “Maj. Watson will continue to be held in pre-trial confinement,” and the service emphasized that additional details about evidence would not be released to protect the integrity of the judicial process.
CNN reported that Watson’s rare Article 88 charges were connected to his June interview with the Defenders of our Republic Substack newsletter, his July 1 protest in uniform at the U.S. Capitol, and an August 17 CNN interview.
In that CNN interview, Watson told Erin Burnett, “Not only is (Trump) a failure as president, he is flagrantly violating the Constitution, breaking the law, engaged in rampant corruption, and is killing Americans,” and he added, “And that is unacceptable to me.”
What happens next
Multiple outlets described the case as moving through the military justice system, with Military.com saying Watson was formally charged with 10 counts under the Uniform Code of Military Justice and that being charged is a step known in the military as preferral. Military.com also said Watson could face dismissal from the service and lose pay and benefits if convicted, and it noted that a preliminary hearing would determine whether there is probable cause and recommend how the case should proceed.
Stars and Stripes reported that Watson was arrested after he refused requests to move on the Capitol steps, and it said he was restricted to Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling in Washington while the Air Force investigated potential violations of military law. The Hill added that Article 88 criminalizes commissioned officers’ use of “contemptuous” words against the president, vice president, Congress and other key officials, and it said prosecutors must prove the words were explicitly “contemptuous” rather than protected or fair criticism.