Air Force officer faces charges after calling for Trump’s impeachment

Michael Loria, USA TODAYThu, August 27, 2026 at 9:35 PM UTC

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An active-duty Air Force officer is facing charges from the military after calling for President Donald Trump to be impeached.

Maj. Jason P. Watson has publicly called for the impeachment of Trump and Vice President JD Vance several times since the launch of the Iran war, according to charging documents. Prosecutors also accuse Watson of speaking with contempt toward the president.

"For the past 18 months, we the people have allowed the highest levels of the executive branch of the federal government to violate our constitution and their oath to it with impunity," said Watson at a July 1 news conference in Washington, where he spoke wearing his Air Force uniform. "For this, the president and vice president must be impeached, convicted, and removed."

The First Amendment would in almost any other case allow citizens to make such criticisms of the White House. But for some service members, freedom of speech is more limited.

Military prosecutors on Aug. 24 brought three different charges against Watson in response to his speech on Capitol Hill and other related incidents: Contempt towards officials, failure to obey orders or regulations and conduct unbecoming an officer. If found guilty, he faces everything from a dishonorable discharge to years in prison.

"Maj. Watson will continue to be held in pre-trial confinement. Airmen are afforded the right to due process, and considered innocent until proven guilty, in accordance with the UCMJ," an Air Force spokesperson said, referring to the Uniform Code of Military Justice, which defines legal proceedings for service members.

The Air Force did not directly respond to questions about why exactly Watson is being held.

Watson's defense attorney told USA TODAY that the officer's actions were motivated by a sense of duty, not contempt.

"Major Watson is someone who took his oath to defend the Constitution very seriously," said Christopher J. Mutimer, of the Washington-based Monument Legal law firm. "He has a deep respect for the military and Constitution and it is my belief that he is not encouraging anyone to follow in his footsteps or create discord in the military."

Watson felt he had "to stand up to say that the violation of the Constitution by this administration with the war in Iran needs to stop," Mutimer said of his client's position.

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Watson has said publicly that he knows he will likely face consequences for speaking against Trump. The officer was first arrested after a demonstration in Washington where he was carrying a sign reading "Impeach, convict, remove."

In addition to the Capitol Hill demonstration, Watson called for Trump’s impeachment during an Aug. 17 CNN interview, during an interview with an anti-Trump activist outlet published July 1 and, according to prosecutors, in a June 6 blog post signed Defenders of Our Republic.

Watson said in his July interview that he became a commissioned Air Force officer after graduating from the highly selective Air Force Academy in Colorado, and over the course of a 17-year career served as a logistics readiness officer in military postings worldwide.

The case marks the latest instance of tensions between the Trump administration and members of the military who have spoken against him.

In November 2025, Trump accused six Democratic members of Congress of "seditious behavior, punishable by death" after they urged American troops to "refuse illegal orders" amid Trump’s efforts to deploy soldiers to cities.

Among Democrats Trump criticized then was Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona, a former Navy pilot. The Pentagon launched an investigation into Kelly for his public comments, though legal experts have said the Operation Desert Storm veteran did nothing unlawful.

Kelly slammed the move to go after Watson in a statement shared with USA TODAY.

"Six months into a war Trump launched with no end in sight and with unprecedented corruption at the highest levels, one thing is clear: this administration doesn’t want to be held accountable," Kelly said. "So, they’re turning to rarely invoked authorities to punish those who speak out, including restrictions on Major Watson’s liberty normally reserved for people who pose a danger to the public."

Watson and Kelly are not the only military members to speak against the Trump administration. More than 60 veterans were arrested in April protesting the Iran war. Others around the nation have been calling on troops to refuse what they call illegal orders since at least October 2025. Still, many of these critics have retired from the armed services, unlike the active-duty Air Force major.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Air Force officer faces charges after calling for Trump’s impeachment

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