The Hill

An Air Force officer who twice called for President Trump's impeachment publicly on the steps of the Capitol has been criminally charged.

Air Force Maj. Jason Watson is accused of breaking multiple military laws — allegedly committing three Article 88 violations for making "contemptuous" remarks about Trump, five Article 92 violations for disobeying orders and two Article 133 violations for conduct unbecoming an officer, an Air Force spokesperson confirmed to The Hill.

The charges were referred on Monday.

"Maj. Watson will continue to be held in pre-trial confinement. Airmen are afforded the right to due process, and considered innocent until proven guilty, in accordance with the Uniform Code of Military Justice," the Air Force spokesperson told The Hill.

"To protect the integrity of the judicial process, the privacy of personnel impacted by the alleged offense(s) and the rights of the accused, additional details regarding the evidence will not be released by the Air Force at this time," the spokesperson added.

Article 88 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice criminalizes commissioned officers' use of "contemptuous" words against the president, vice president, Congress and other key officials.

These charges are rare, as prosecutors must prove the words were explicitly "contemptuous" — meaning insulting, rude or disdainful — rather than protected or fair criticism, making convictions difficult.

Members of the U.S. military are strictly prohibited from participating in protests, marches or political demonstrations while wearing their uniform. Peaceful demonstrations are permitted on Capitol grounds, but a protester must be accompanied by a sitting lawmaker in order to speak openly on the steps of the Capitol.

Off-duty service members may attend peaceful protests or political events as spectators, but they must wear civilian clothes and ensure their personal views are not tied to their military status.

Last month, Watson was temporarily escorted by Rep. Al Green (D-Texas) to protest on the steps of the Capitol but was swiftly arrested after the lawmaker left the site.

Green has earned national media attention for protesting against Trump during a joint session of Congress, causing the representative's removal. The Texas lawmaker filed impeachment articles against the president on Monday.

Meanwhile, Watson has remained unabashed in his pursuit of removing Trump from executive office.

He was arrested again last week and ordered into "pretrial confinement" for his early July protest on the Capitol, with authorities detaining the major shortly after he had informed his chain of command that he would "no longer be wearing his uniform." The week of his arrest, he had again called for the president's impeachment in an interview with CNN's Erin Burnett.

"When the president of the United States orders military action against foreign countries — absent an emergency scenario where American interests are under imminent dire threats, as was done with Venezuela, Cuba and Iran — that's an unconstitutional usurpation of Congress's authority and a violation of the War Powers Clause," Watson originally told bystanders in July.

"These violations resulted in the deaths of 13 service members and injuries of hundreds more. For this, the president and vice president must be impeached, convicted and removed," he added.