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An Active-Duty Air Force Major Called for Trump's Impeachment in Uniform, Then Was Arrested.

Resist Now 3 min read
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An active-duty U.S. Air Force officer, Major Jason Watson, stood on the steps of the Capitol in uniform on July 1, 2026, and called on Congress to impeach, convict, and remove President Trump. Capitol Police arrested him shortly after, the Washington Times reported. It is a rare and legally risky act of public dissent from someone still serving in the military.

What Happened

Watson is a logistics readiness officer currently on leave from a post in Poland, but still on active duty. He appeared at an impeachment press conference organized by a grassroots group called the Removal Coalition and was initially accompanied by Rep. Al Green, a Texas Democrat.

Capitol Police arrested him for demonstrating on the Capitol steps, which is prohibited unless the demonstrator is with a member of Congress. His statement at the event ended with a line supporters have circulated widely: “The bill must come due.”

The Case He Made

Watson framed his call for impeachment around specific alleged offenses, not general politics. His central charge was that the president violated the War Powers Act by ordering military strikes against Iran and Venezuela without an imminent threat to the United States, actions he said killed and injured service members.

He also accused the administration of sponsoring violence against protesters, denying due process to immigrants, imposing illegal tariffs, and weaponizing the Justice Department. The advocacy group Free Speech For People issued a statement backing him, calling it protected dissent.

The arrest is the smaller of Watson’s legal problems. Military law restricts what officers can say and do.

Under Article 88 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice, a commissioned officer who uses “contemptuous words” against the president can be court-martialed. Defense Department rules also bar active-duty members from taking part in partisan political events in uniform. Watson almost certainly exposed himself to military discipline, and how the Air Force responds will say as much as the protest did.

Why It Matters

The military is built to stay out of politics, and that norm cuts both ways. It is why an officer publicly demanding a president’s removal is so unusual, and why it carries real career and legal risk that Watson chose to take on anyway.

Whatever one makes of his specific charges, the moment is a signal from inside an institution that rarely speaks. It lands in the same stretch as the forced-out generals and the Pentagon purge, the difference being that this officer spoke before he could be removed quietly.

What You Can Do Now

  1. Use the letter below to ask your members of Congress to require congressional authorization for military operations, the war-powers issue at the center of Watson’s charge. The Constitution gives Congress, not the president, the power to take the country to war.

  2. Call your senators and representative at (202) 224-3121. Ask them whether the strikes on Iran and Venezuela were authorized, and whether they will invoke the War Powers Resolution.

  3. Watch how the Air Force responds. Whether Watson faces court-martial, discharge, or nothing will show how much room is left for dissent inside the military. Public attention is a check on how that plays out.

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