President Donald Trump pardoned former 1st Lt. Mark Bashaw after he was convicted in 2022 for violating COVID-19 mandates.
Former Army officer Bashaw, an entomologist at the Army Public Health Center in Maryland, was pardoned Wednesday over his conviction by a military judge for disobeying orders intended to curb the spread of COVID-19, an anonymous White House official first told The Washington Post.
The Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Office of the Pardon Attorney confirmed on its website that Bashaw was pardoned Wednesday.
After receiving the pardon Wednesday, Bashaw said on social media that he was “humbled, grateful, and ready to continue fighting for truth and justice.”
🇺🇸 I just received a Presidential Pardon from President Donald J. Trump. I am humbled, grateful, and ready to continue fighting for truth and justice in this great nation.
Thank you, Mr. President @realDonaldTrump and to your incredible team, WRWY🙏
Special shout out to… pic.twitter.com/wxiM3u1YF6
— Mark Charles Bashaw (@MCBashaw) May 29, 2025
Bashaw, who said he was discharged in 2023, claimed he was targeted for his refusal to comply based on his religious beliefs. (RELATED: Not Everyone Accepted Trump’s Pardons)
The 16-year Army and Air Force veteran was convicted for refusing to comply with orders to provide a negative COVID-19 test before reporting to duty, or wear a mask indoors, according to a Stars and Stripes report.
He also refused to take the COVID-19 vaccine, and his religious exemption for all vaccines was denied by the Army, the outlet reported.
The Pentagon under the Biden Administration required all service members to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. National Guardsmen were also required to get the vaccine under threat of pay cuts and being barred from training with their units, with further resistance leading to discharge. (RELATED: Trump Pardons Pro-Lifers Ahead Of March For Life)
🚨Tomorrow, I will be discharged after 17 years of service for refusing to participate with the experimental EUA CV19 products (mask, test, injection).
Here is the official audio from UNITED STATES v 1LT MARK C. BASHAW, Judge Richard Cohen, during sentencing at my Court Martial. pic.twitter.com/2RmVLOk6ME
— Mark Charles Bashaw (@MCBashaw) June 25, 2023
Bashaw was just one of several individuals pardoned by Trump this week, including reality TV stars Todd Chrisley and Julie Chrisley, who were convicted on charges relating to fraud. (RELATED: Donald Trump Grants Full Pardon To Reality Stars Todd And Julie Chrisley)
Trump also granted clemency to former Republican New York Rep. Michael Grimm and former three-term Republican Connecticut Governor John Rowland, Politico reported.
Grimm served in Congress from 2011 to 2015 and pleaded guilty to aiding the preparation of a false tax return and covering up more than $900,000 in gross income, according to a 2014 DOJ press release.
Rowland was sentenced to 30 months in prison in 2015 for his illegal involvement in two congressional campaigns, according to the District of Connecticut U.S. Attorney’s Office (USAO).
Rowland resigned from office in 2004 after an investigation was launched into federal corruption, Eyewitness News 3 reported.
“He served 10 months in prison after he pleaded guilty to accepting gifts and favors from state contractors,” the outlet reported.
— Mark Charles Bashaw (@MCBashaw) May 29, 2025
Just weeks after taking office, Trump signed an executive order restoring the prior ranks of service members who had been discharged from the military for refusing the COVID-19 vaccine.
The Bashaw case was one of “the first known COVID court-martial” cases, as reported by Army Times.
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