An Air Force major who was arrested after publicly calling for President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance to be impeached and removed from office is speaking out — and he’s not backing down.
Maj. Jason Watson was arrested in July after criticizing Trump’s actions in Venezuela and Iran and then taking his protest directly to the steps of the U.S. Capitol.
Standing there in uniform, Watson held up a sign that said: “Impeach. Convict. Remove.”
Now he’s explaining why he was willing to risk his career to make the statement.
“Trump has failed us,” Watson told CNN on Monday.
“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 and that is unacceptable to me.”
That’s a pretty extraordinary statement from a sitting military officer about his commander in chief.
And Watson knows there could be a price to pay.
‘Everything that is worthwhile is going to cost something’
Watson’s arrest came after he spoke at a news conference criticizing Trump’s policies and actions involving Venezuela and the war in Iran.
He then went to the Capitol steps and continued his protest.
Capitol Police said that publicly demonstrating on the House Steps is generally prohibited unless the demonstrators are with a member of Congress.
Watson was arrested. But the arrest could be only the beginning of his problems.
As CNN’s Erin Burnett pointed out, Watson’s actions as an active-duty Air Force major could potentially have serious consequences, including removal from the military and the loss of his pay and benefits.
Watson appears to understand exactly what’s at stake.
And he doesn’t sound particularly interested in backing down.
“Everything that is worthwhile is going to cost something,” he said.
That’s the gamble Watson is now making. He has a military career to lose. But he clearly believes remaining silent would cost him something, too.
For Watson, the question isn’t simply whether his protest was worth an arrest.
It’s whether an active-duty officer can stand by while he believes the president is violating the Constitution, and what he’s willing to risk to say so publicly.
Watson has already made his choice.
