Air Force Maj. Jason Watson has been arrested for the second time after publicly calling for President Donald Trump’s impeachment — and his latest detention came just one day after he accused the president of violating the Constitution, breaking the law and engaging in “rampant corruption.”
Watson was detained Tuesday and placed in pretrial confinement in Maryland over what the Air Force described as “allegations of continued misconduct.”
The Air Force has not identified the specific allegations. But Watson’s attorney believes the timing speaks for itself.
The detention came just one day after Watson gave an exclusive interview to CNN in which he openly condemned Trump’s conduct in office.
“What is happening with President Trump is not normal. He has failed us,” Watson told CNN’s Erin Burnett.
“And not only is he a failure as president, he is flagrantly violating the Constitution, breaking the law, engaged in rampant corruption, and is killing Americans.”
Air Force Maj. Jason Watson, who was arrested on the steps of the US Capitol after calling for Trump & Vance to be impeached and removed from office, speaks out to @ErinBurnett in his first interview after his arrest: “[Trump] is flagrantly violating the constitution, breaking… pic.twitter.com/fB1F2G3rDz
— Erin Burnett OutFront (@OutFrontCNN) August 18, 2026
For Watson, that isn’t just political rhetoric. It is the reason he says he was willing to put his entire military career on the line.
Watson’s first arrest came in July, when he appeared at a news conference outside the U.S. Capitol with the Removal Coalition.
Wearing his full Air Force uniform and holding a sign that read **“Impeach. Convict. Remove,” Watson called for Trump and Vice President JD Vance to be impeached, convicted and removed from office.
He specifically criticized their handling of the war in Iran, accusing the administration of dangerously failing in its leadership.
Watson was arrested and escorted away from the Capitol.
He was subsequently placed under a gag order and could still face a court-martial or removal from the Air Force.
Now, he has been detained again.
And the latest move comes immediately after Watson went public with his criticism of the president once more.
His attorney believes that is no coincidence.
Watson is an active-duty Air Force officer who has served for 17 years. By publicly challenging the president while remaining in uniform, he is putting his military career directly at risk. But Watson says he has made peace with the consequences.
“Nothing that is worth doing is something that you can do for free,” he told Burnett. “Everything that is worthwhile is going to cost something.”
He said he ultimately had to ask himself a simple question: “What’s the highest price that I’m willing to pay?”
His answer was to speak out.
The Air Force says he remains in pretrial confinement while allegations of continued misconduct are investigated. It has not publicly explained what those allegations are.
For Watson and his lawyers, however, the timing of his latest detention raises a much bigger question: Was he detained because he broke military rules, or because he refused to stop speaking out against the president?
In an unprecedented act of dissent, active-duty USAF Major Jason Watson was arrested on the Capitol steps after calling for the impeachment & removal of Donald Trump. Risking his career to uphold his constitutional oath, his arrest marks a historic moment. ✊🏻✊🏿✊🏼✊🏾✊🏽#DemsUnited pic.twitter.com/quFmuxKxoQ
— TizzyWoman 🗽 ☮️ ~ Keep moving forward (@tizzywoman) July 1, 2026
