US Air Force Maj. Jason Watson was arrested by police on the Capitol steps after calling for the impeachment and removal of President Donald Trump, in Washington, DC, on July 1, 2026. - Allison Bailey/NurPhoto/AP/File
Trump criticism leads to rare criminal charges for Air Force officer who called for impeachment
Davis Winkie, Haley Britzky, CNN
Tue, August 25, 2026
A US airman who was arrested twice, once on the steps of the US Capitol while calling for the impeachment of President Donald Trump, was officially criminally charged Monday for his comments, according to a charging document his attorney shared with CNN.
Maj. Jason Watson faces the following charges under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, according to the document: three violations of Article 88 for alleged "contemptuous" remarks about Trump, five violations of Article 92 for allegedly disobeying orders and two violations of Article 133 for alleged conduct unbecoming an officer.
The rare Article 88 charges are connected to the Air Force officer's June interview with the Defenders of our Republic Substack newsletter, his July 1 protest in uniform at the US Capitol, and an August 17 CNN interview.
It can be considered a violation of the Uniform Code of Military Justice to participate in uniform in any overtly partisan activity, such as a political protest, or to use "contemptuous words" against the president and other high-ranking civilian officials. Many low-level offenses of these rules are resolved informally, but Watson's violations were unusually high-profile.
Watson was first arrested in July while protesting in uniform at the US Capitol, and he was then arrested again last week just days after criticizing Trump again during a CNN interview. One of his attorneys, Chris Mutimer, told CNN that his client was ordered to remain in "pre-trial confinement" — an action analogous to a denial of bond in civilian court — pending legal action against him.
"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," Watson told CNN's Erin Burnett during the interview. "And that is unacceptable to me."
..............
Trump criticism leads to rare criminal charges for Air Force officer who called for impeachment
Davis Winkie, Haley Britzky, CNN
Tue, August 25, 2026
A US airman who was arrested twice, once on the steps of the US Capitol while calling for the impeachment of President Donald Trump, was officially criminally charged Monday for his comments, according to a charging document his attorney shared with CNN.
Maj. Jason Watson faces the following charges under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, according to the document: three violations of Article 88 for alleged "contemptuous" remarks about Trump, five violations of Article 92 for allegedly disobeying orders and two violations of Article 133 for alleged conduct unbecoming an officer.
The rare Article 88 charges are connected to the Air Force officer's June interview with the Defenders of our Republic Substack newsletter, his July 1 protest in uniform at the US Capitol, and an August 17 CNN interview.
It can be considered a violation of the Uniform Code of Military Justice to participate in uniform in any overtly partisan activity, such as a political protest, or to use "contemptuous words" against the president and other high-ranking civilian officials. Many low-level offenses of these rules are resolved informally, but Watson's violations were unusually high-profile.
Watson was first arrested in July while protesting in uniform at the US Capitol, and he was then arrested again last week just days after criticizing Trump again during a CNN interview. One of his attorneys, Chris Mutimer, told CNN that his client was ordered to remain in "pre-trial confinement" — an action analogous to a denial of bond in civilian court — pending legal action against him.
"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," Watson told CNN's Erin Burnett during the interview. "And that is unacceptable to me."
..............
The disobeying orders charges against Watson allege that he violated Defense Department regulations barring troops from speaking out in favor of partisan causes; "wrongfully" wore his uniform at a Capitol press conference; broke leave regulations by traveling to Washington, DC; and refused to wear his uniform to work the morning after his CNN interview.
Air Force prosecutors also alleged that Watson's Capitol protest and CNN interview constituted "conduct unbecoming an officer."
Mutimer, Watson's attorney, told CNN's Erin Burnett on "OutFront" that he spoke with his client Monday and "he is basically in solitary confinement for his safety." Mutimer said, "He truly believes in everything about our constitution and what it represents, and the oath that he swore, and he stands by the fact that he did this so others wouldn't have to, and to share that to anyone who's scared and feels alone."
...............
Military courts-martial leading to "contempt of officials" charges are rare — a CNN review only identified two such convictions that have occurred since the modern Uniform Code of Military Justice was enacted in 1951.
In 1965, an Army lieutenant was convicted of the charge after he participated in an off-base protest against the Vietnam War in El Paso, Texas. Lt. Henry Howe was sentenced to a dismissal from the service — the equivalent of a dishonorable discharge for an officer — and a year in the military prison at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. Defense Secretary Robert McNamara ultimately granted parole to Howe, ending his sentence early.
The most recent Article 88 conviction came in 2021, when former Marine Corps Lt. Col. Stuart Scheller pleaded guilty to contempt of officials and other charges linked to a series of social media videos he published criticizing the Biden administration's handling of the US military's withdrawal from Afghanistan. Scheller, who was confined to the brig for a period of time before his trial, was sentenced to a $5,000 pay forfeiture and resigned from the Marine Corps sans-pension as part of a plea agreement.
The Trump administration has since appointed Scheller to serve as a senior adviser to the Pentagon's undersecretary for personnel and readiness.
Frank Rosenblatt, a retired Army judge advocate and associate law professor said to CNN that the standard for "contemptuous" words is "less than precise" in guidance provided to military judges and panel members (similar to jurors).
Rosenblatt said that "contemptuous" remarks under Article 88 must be "insulting, rude, and disdainful conduct, or otherwise disrespectfully attributing to another a quality of meanness, disreputableness, or worthlessness."
He suggested that a pretrial hearing known as an Article 32 proceeding may be required to assess whether Watson's remarks instead "are true or are fair criticisms" of the president.
...........................
The Air Force did not immediately respond to a request for comment sent on Monday. In an August 19 statement to CNN, an Air Force spokesperson said that Watson "is presumed innocent" and said that that Air Force District of Washington will oversee his trial "if (his) case is referred to a General Court-Martial."
This story has been updated with additional details.
CNN's Piper Hudspeth Blackburn, Carmen Conte Widman and Francesca
Military courts-martial leading to "contempt of officials" charges are rare — a CNN review only identified two such convictions that have occurred since the modern Uniform Code of Military Justice was enacted in 1951.
In 1965, an Army lieutenant was convicted of the charge after he participated in an off-base protest against the Vietnam War in El Paso, Texas. Lt. Henry Howe was sentenced to a dismissal from the service — the equivalent of a dishonorable discharge for an officer — and a year in the military prison at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. Defense Secretary Robert McNamara ultimately granted parole to Howe, ending his sentence early.
The most recent Article 88 conviction came in 2021, when former Marine Corps Lt. Col. Stuart Scheller pleaded guilty to contempt of officials and other charges linked to a series of social media videos he published criticizing the Biden administration's handling of the US military's withdrawal from Afghanistan. Scheller, who was confined to the brig for a period of time before his trial, was sentenced to a $5,000 pay forfeiture and resigned from the Marine Corps sans-pension as part of a plea agreement.
The Trump administration has since appointed Scheller to serve as a senior adviser to the Pentagon's undersecretary for personnel and readiness.
Frank Rosenblatt, a retired Army judge advocate and associate law professor said to CNN that the standard for "contemptuous" words is "less than precise" in guidance provided to military judges and panel members (similar to jurors).
Rosenblatt said that "contemptuous" remarks under Article 88 must be "insulting, rude, and disdainful conduct, or otherwise disrespectfully attributing to another a quality of meanness, disreputableness, or worthlessness."
He suggested that a pretrial hearing known as an Article 32 proceeding may be required to assess whether Watson's remarks instead "are true or are fair criticisms" of the president.
...........................
The Air Force did not immediately respond to a request for comment sent on Monday. In an August 19 statement to CNN, an Air Force spokesperson said that Watson "is presumed innocent" and said that that Air Force District of Washington will oversee his trial "if (his) case is referred to a General Court-Martial."
This story has been updated with additional details.
CNN's Piper Hudspeth Blackburn, Carmen Conte Widman and Francesca
No comments:
Post a Comment