Air Force Major Arrested at Capitol Over Trump Impeachment Call Detained Again: Now 'Ordered Into Pretrial Confinement'

Air Force Major Jason Watson has been ordered into pretrial confinement. It is the second time he has been detained since he called for President Donald Trump's impeachment on the steps of the US Capitol in July.

An Air Force spokesperson said Watson was 'ordered into pretrial confinement' on 18 August, on probable cause that his misconduct had continued. He is held at a county facility in Maryland on a military hold, has not been charged, and the case remains under investigation.

The detention came a day after Watson appeared on CNN and repeated his call for the president's impeachment. His attorney, Christopher Mutimer, said Watson was taken into custody while on duty on 18 August, having told his chain of command he would stop wearing his uniform.

What Watson Told CNN Before He Was Detained

'What is happening with President Trump is not normal,' Watson told CNN's Erin Burnett on Monday. Monument Legal, Mutimer's firm, said he gave the interview that night, reported for duty the next morning, and was detained that afternoon.

Watson is 40, a US Air Force Academy graduate who entered active duty in 2009, an Air Force spokesperson has confirmed. He is a logistics readiness officer posted to a NATO integration unit in Poland. He was on leave in Washington when he first spoke out, Removal Coalition founder Jessica Denson told the 1 July news conference he addressed.

Federal regulation bars service members from wearing the uniform during public speeches, interviews, marches, rallies, or other demonstrations unless their chain of command authorises it.

The Seven Weeks Between the Two Detentions

The first arrest came at about 1:15 p.m. on 1 July.

Watson climbed the House steps in uniform, held a sign reading 'Impeach Convict Remove', and was arrested under District of Columbia code section 22-1307, crowding, obstructing and incommoding.

Capitol Police said the public may not demonstrate there unless a member of Congress is present. Representative Al Green of Texas had escorted him up, then left.

No civilian prosecution followed. A District of Columbia Superior Court official said the next day that Watson was being released and no case would be brought. The city's attorney general's office, which would have made that decision, did not charge him.

The military went further. Air Force Secretary Troy Meink wrote on X on 3 July that he expected airmen and guardians to comply with all laws and 'policies governing personal conduct, political participation, and the wear of the uniform.'

Watson was handed from Capitol Police to Defense Department custody, then restricted to Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling. Written orders barred him from leaving the base or speaking publicly, Mutimer told Newsweek in July, and no charges had been filed.

The Charges Watson Could Face

Mutimer expects charges under Articles 88 and 92 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice, covering contempt toward officials and failure to obey an order or regulation. 'He is facing discharge from the military.'

Article 88 carries dismissal, the officer equivalent of a dishonourable discharge, forfeiture of all pay and allowances, and up to a year in confinement on conviction. Article 92 carries up to two years for disobeying a general order. Dismissal would also end veterans' benefits, and would come three years short of the 20 years an officer must serve to draw a pension. He keeps drawing his regular pay while confined, because forfeiture is a sentence a court-martial imposes, not a consequence of being held.

Supporters Have Put $338,000 Into Watson's Legal Trust

The Major Jason Watson Legal Trust's crowdfunding page had taken $338,082 (£248,043) from 8,068 donors by Friday, against a $350,000 (£256,787) goal. Organisers said its 7 August update: 'The gag order is still in place.'

Rule for Courts-Martial 305 requires an independent officer to review the confinement within seven days.

A detention hearing was expected on Thursday, where his lawyers said they would argue for release. No outcome has been announced.

The Air Force has not identified the alleged misconduct, and has said Watson's personal statements do not reflect its views or policies.