U.S. Air Force Member Locked in Solitary Confinement Over Trump Impeachment Comment, Attorney Says: 'Cruel'

An Air Force officer who publicly called for the impeachment of President Donald Trump has been in solitary confinement for almost two months as he awaits a possible court-martial, his attorney said.

Air Force Maj. Jason Watson is “still in solitary confinement 24 hours a day,” his attorney, Christopher Mutimer, said on Friday, October 9.

Mutimer said the conditions under which Watson is being held before his trial amount to “cruel and unusual” punishment. Watson, 40, is an Air Force Academy graduate and logistics officer who had been assigned to Poland as a staff officer.

The Air Force ordered him into pretrial confinement on Tuesday, August 18, citing probable cause of “continued misconduct,” and he was initially held at a county facility in Maryland on a military hold.

The Air Force didn’t reply to a request for comment regarding the conditions of Watson’s confinement, but it has said Watson is presumed innocent, according to a report. There’s no trial date scheduled.

On Wednesday, July 1, Watson drew nationwide attention when he stood on the steps of the U.S. Capitol in his service uniform and called for Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance to be removed through impeachment. He held a sign reading “impeach, convict, remove,” and he cited U.S. military involvement in Venezuela, Cuba and Iran as reasons for his call.

At a news conference that same day, Watson said what mattered most wasn’t who he was, but what he had to say and the price he was willing to pay to say it. Rep. Al Green accompanied Watson up the Capitol steps after the news conference. After Capitol Police arrested Watson, they transferred him into Air Force custody.

Watson repeated his criticism of Trump during a CNN interview on Monday, August 17, and the Air Force placed him in pretrial confinement the next day. Watson was later charged with three counts under Article 88 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice, which bars officers from using “contemptuous words” against the president, as well as five counts of failing to obey lawful orders and two counts of conduct unbecoming an officer.

During a preliminary hearing on Friday, September 18, Watson said, “I understand my words made people uncomfortable. I spoke to change something that was wrong.”

Watson also said he didn’t expect to continue serving in the Air Force, according to a report.

Maj. Joshua Wendell, the hearing officer, said Watson can’t be held with civilians, which limits where he can be confined. “He was placed in confinement because of the law, which puts him in solitary confinement,” Wendell said.

Lt. Col. Chris Dunn, representing the government, said the charges don’t come from political pressure and that Watson isn’t being unfairly singled out. “This is not personal,” Dunn said.

The government also argued that Watson’s appearance at the U.S. Capitol was a partisan event, but Mutimer said his client isn’t a member of the Democratic Party. Mutimer argued that Watson has served in the Air Force for 17 years “and is not a flight risk,” and he said Watson’s request to resign his commission was denied within 24 hours.

Watson’s lawyers have compared his case to that of former Marine Lt. Col. Stuart Scheller, who pleaded guilty in 2021 and received a letter of reprimand and a $5,000 forfeiture of pay after criticizing military leaders over the Afghanistan withdrawal.