WASHINGTON ―President Donald Trumphas issued a full and unconditional pardon to a former U.S. army officer who was found guilty by a special court martial during the Biden administration for refusing to follow COVID-19 safety measures. Former Lt. Mark Bashaw,who was discharged from the Armyafter his 2022 conviction, received the pardon from Trump on May 28, a senior White House official confirmed to USA TODAY. Bashaw was found guilty by a military judgefor violating lawful orders for refusing to work remotely, reporting to office without submitting a COVID-19 test, and not wearing a face mask indoors ‒ measures that were required of military members who chose not to get vaccinated for the COVID-19 virus. "I got Courts-Martialed because I refused to participate with lies,"Bashaw said in a 2023 post on X. Bashaw was the first member of the military to be tried by a court martialover Biden-era COVID-19 rules for the military, which were later rescinded in 2023 when the pandemic subsided. The judge who oversaw Bashaw's trial declined to punish him but the conviction but gave Bashaw a criminal record that is wiped out with Trump's pardon. Bashaw served as company commander of the Army Public Health Center'sheadquarters companyat Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland. A father of three, Bashaw was previously a non-commissioned officer with the Air Force. Weeks after his inauguration,Trump took executive action in Januaryto begin reinstating service members who refused toreceive the COVID-19 vaccineas mandated by the Defense Department under former PresidentJoe Biden. It was not immediately clear whether Bashaw is among those who will be reinstated. Contributing: Davis Winkie of USA TODAY. Reach Joey Garrison on X @joeygarrison. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Trump pardons former Army officer convicted of disobeying COVID rules
