Air Force major faces prison time after his one-man “Impeach. Convict. Remove.” Trump protest at the Capitol

Major Jason Watson, an active-duty Air Force officer with 17 years of service, remains in pretrial confinement as he faces 10 military specifications tied to his public criticism of President Donald Trump. According to ABC, Watson has an Article 32 hearing scheduled for Friday in the Washington, D.C. area.

Watson was arrested by U.S. Capitol Police on July 1 after appearing in uniform on the House steps and holding a sign calling for Trump and Vice President JD Vance to be impeached, convicted and removed. The D.C. Office of the Attorney General later dropped the local misdemeanor charge, but Air Force investigators took Watson into military custody.

He was initially restricted to Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling rather than placed in pretrial confinement. That changed in August after Watson gave another interview criticizing Trump. The Air Force later announced formal charges and said Watson would remain confined while receiving the due process protections afforded under the Uniform Code of Military Justice.

Watson’s uniform is central to the military case

The current charge breakdown reported by ABC includes two specifications under Article 88, five under Article 92 and three under Article 133. Article 88 prohibits commissioned officers from using contemptuous words against officials including the president and vice president. Watson is accused, not convicted, and the Air Force has not publicly released the evidence behind each specification.

Article 88 prosecutions are rare. A Defense Department review found only one reported appellate case involving the provision since the Uniform Code of Military Justice took effect in 1950. That case, United States v. Howe, involved an Army officer convicted after publicly protesting President Lyndon B. Johnson and the Vietnam War. His conviction was upheld in 1967.

The Article 92 charges focus on alleged failures to follow lawful orders and military regulations. Earlier reporting said they involve rules on political activity, Watson wearing his uniform during the Capitol protest, leave requirements, and an order directing him to report for duty in uniform. Defense Department policy limits certain political activity by active-duty service members and bars conduct that could suggest the military is backing a political cause.

Watson’s protest also focused on Trump’s war with Iran, which he argued had been conducted without congressional authorization. His case comes against a legal framework that gives the military more room to restrict speech than civilian authorities have. In Parker v. Levy, the Supreme Court held that First Amendment protections apply differently in the military because of its mission and disciplinary structure.

Article 133 covers conduct unbecoming an officer. Under the Manual for Courts-Martial, a commissioned officer convicted under Article 88 can face dismissal, forfeiture of all pay and allowances, and up to one year of confinement. Dismissal is the officer equivalent of a punitive separation, while dishonorable discharge applies to certain noncommissioned personnel rather than commissioned officers.

Watson graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 2009 and served as a logistics officer. His public activism began before the Capitol protest, and he staged a 22-day hunger strike on Capitol grounds in 2025 while concealing his identity, an effort he later said failed to attract the attention he wanted.

Watson’s Article 32 hearing on September 18 will be a preliminary military proceeding, not a trial. It will examine whether probable cause exists and what should happen with the charges before any possible general court-martial.