Who Is Jason Watson? Decorated Air Force Major Arrested After Trump Protest

This press release from Representative Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA) was published on 2026-07-02 and titled "Who Is Jason Watson? Decorated Air Force Major Arrested After Trump Protest".

Who Is Jason Watson? Decorated Air Force Major Arrested After Trump Protest

Originally published in Newsweek. Written by Marni Rose McFall, Jordan King, Hannah Parry, Joshua Rhett Miller, and Khaleda Rahman The U.S. Air Force is investigating a decorated major who was arrested on Wednesday for staging a protest calling for President Donald Trump's impeachment, military officials said. The U.S. Air Force has announced an investigation after Major Jason Watson held a sign calling for Trump to be removed from office on the steps of the U.S. Capitol, where protests are prohibited unless participants are accompanied by a member of Congress. Initially, Watson had been accompanied by the Texas Democratic Congressman Al Green, but when he left the area, police said he would need to stop his protest or be arrested. In video footage shared widely on social media, Watson is seen in uniform, speaking at the protest. "The president and vice president must be impeached, convicted and removed," Watson said. A fundraiser, set up on the platform Spot Fund in support of Watson, has raised over $139,000; while another launched on GoFundMe has raised over $5,000, as of Friday morning. The Spot Fund fundraiser states that it is taking donations for “the defense fund of this patriotic hero.” The footage then shows him being arrested while standing on the steps of the Capitol. In a video shared to X, Green said: "I just left the Capitol grounds, and I was there to witness a major in the U.S. military…He stood for the impeachment of a president on the Capitol grounds and thereafter he walked up the steps where he was arrested." "This is the kind of courage necessary to inspire others," Green said. U.S. Capitol Police confirmed Watson’s arrest in a statement to Newsweek early Thursday. “It is generally against the law for the public to demonstrate on the House steps unless they are with a member of Congress,” a Capitol Police spokesperson wrote in an email. “Yesterday afternoon, a man was escorted to the House steps by a member of Congress. When the member of Congress left the area, our officers gave the man lawful orders to stop the illegal demonstration or he would be arrested.” Watson was arrested for crowding, obstructing and incommoding after refusing “lawful orders,” authorities said. “It is important to note that there are plenty of other spots on Capitol grounds where demonstrating is allowed,” the spokesperson said. John Bonifaz, the president and co-founder of Free Speech For People, praised Watson in a press release, writing: "His willingness to risk his own freedom stands in stark contrast to those who continue to look away as President Trump commits unprecedented abuses of power." Newsweek contacted the White House for comment via email outside of normal working hours. In video footage showing his arrest, Watson first calls for the impeachment of Trump and Vance and is then filmed walking up the steps of the Capitol, where he stood holding a placard that read "Impeach Convict Remove." As he stands on the steps, voices can be heard out of the camera frame, cheering. He then places the placard on the ground, puts his hands behind his back and is arrested. As he is being led away, the crowd cheers and chants: "Who do you serve?" A press conference was held prior to the arrest and protest by Jessica Denson, founder of the Removal Coalition, which advocates for the constitutional removal of Trump and members of his administration. Video footage of this was livestreamed and shared to YouTube. Denson introduced Watson and spoke about his military background. “This man is a U.S. Air Force major. He is currently on leave from his commission post as a logistics readiness officer in Poland. He has spent much of 17 years in Europe, all over the globe, defending this country, working with NATO.” Denson said that Watson had approached the Removal Coalition in February of this year and asked them to create the event for him. Green did not speak at the conference but stood by Denson and Watson. Watson addressed Green directly while speaking and said: “I’m not a Democrat and know next to nothing about his policies. I am here with him because Representative Green is the only member of Congress that has demonstrated the courage and conviction to invoke Rule 9 and force a vote on the articles of impeachment.” In December of 2025, Green filed to impeach Trump, saying that he is “an abuser of presidential power who, if left in office, will continue to promote violence, engender invidious hate, undermine our democracy, and dissolve our Republic.” The House voted to kill that impeachment resolution 237-140. Prediction market Kalshi currently have odds of 64 percent that Trump will be impeached before January 2028. The Removal Coalition states on its website that the movement is: “Explicit and united in our mission to constitutionally remove the illegal Trump administration from power, NOW.” Rep. Chrissy Houlahan , a Democrat and Air Force veteran, praised Watson for his bravery in standing up to the Trump administrat