Who Is Jason Watson? All About the U.S. Air Force Major Held in Solitary Confinement Over Trump Impeachment Call

U.S. Air Force Major Jason Watson is facing military charges after publicly calling for the impeachment of President Donald Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance.

On July 1, Watson staged a solo protest in uniform on the steps of the U.S. Capitol as he demanded the immediate impeachment of Trump and Vance. The U.S. Air Force member was subsequently arrested and placed under military investigation.

Watson faces multiple violations of military law and has been placed in solitary confinement "24 hours a day," according to his attorney.

Here's everything to know about Watson and the circumstances surrounding his detention.

Watson is a graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy, where he began basic cadet training in 2005.

According to Air Force Times, Watson is an active-duty Air Force officer who is currently on leave from his commission post as a logistics readiness officer in Bydgoszcz, Poland.

He entered active-duty service in May 2009 and has served in the military for approximately 17 years, primarily in overseas assignments.

Watson was arrested outside the U.S. Capitol on July 1 after holding a sign that read "Impeach. Convict. Remove." while in uniform. Earlier that day, he had spoken at a news conference calling for the POTUS' removal from office.

"I think you can't help but be struck by the contrast of someone who is upholding the highest level of commitment to their oath to call out a tyrannical and illegal administration being arrested, while so many of those actors continue in seats of power with impunity," Jessica Denson, founder of the Removal Coalition, told Military Times.

Video footage showed Watson standing on the steps for about three minutes before Capitol Police arrested him under Washington, D.C. § 22–1307. Crowding, obstructing, or incommoding.

Following his arrest, Watson was transferred from U.S. Capitol Police custody to the Metropolitan Police Department and held overnight at the Central Cell Block in Northwest Washington, D.C. The following day, he appeared at D.C. Superior Court's Moultrie Courthouse, where Denson expected his release after the D.C. Office of the Attorney General dropped the charges.

However, Watson remained in custody and was transferred "directly into Air Force custody," Denson said, adding, "There was a sergeant there who basically represented to me that she was just there to make sure that he was well fed and clothed and had a hotel to go to, all those things."

Watson was subsequently taken to Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling, where he was placed under a gag order while military authorities investigated his conduct.

On August 18, Watson was ordered into pretrial confinement, one day after appearing in a CNN interview. He was then held at a county detention facility in Maryland under a military hold.

According to the charging document shared with CNN in August, the U.S. airman faced three violations of Article 88 for allegedly making "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 rarely invoked Article 88 charges stemmed from Watson's June interview with the Defenders of Our Republic Substack newsletter, his July 1 protest and his August 17 interview with CNN.

"Maj. Watson will continue to be held in pre-trial confinement," a spokesperson for the Air Force confirmed Watson's charges. "Airmen are afforded the right to due process, and considered innocent until proven guilty, in accordance with the Uniform Code of Military Justice."

Watson appeared at an Article 32 preliminary hearing on September 18. But nearly two months after he was placed in pretrial confinement, his attorney, Christopher Mutimer, said Watson is "still in solitary confinement 24 hours a day" as he awaits court-martial.

"Even if he gets an hour to eat or to exercise, he's alone," Mutimer added. "He's looking at having his liberty potentially taken away. ... He is looking at being removed from the military, losing his benefits and potentially spending significant time in jail."