Trump pardons former Army officer convicted for refusing to participate in Biden-era COVID 'lies'
President Donald Trump has pardoned a former Army officer who was convicted of defying Biden-era COVID requirements for the armed services.
Former Lt. Mark Bashaw, who was discharged from the US Army following his 2022 conviction, was one of several people who saw their criminal records wiped away by the president on Wednesday.
The father-of-three was found guilty by a military judge for violating the Department of Defense's policies for soldiers who opted not to get the COVID vaccine as mandated by then-Defense Sec. Lloyd Austin.
Under the requirements, those who did not get the jab were required to work from home and only return to the office after they submit a negative COVID-19 test. Even then, they were required to wear face masks indoors.
But Bashaw openly defied the rules, reporting to work without a COVID test and without wearing a mask, USA Today reports.
He then became the first member of the military to be tried by a court marital over the COVID regulations - which were rescinded in 2023 when the pandemic subsided.
'I got courts-martialed because I refused to participate with lies,' he wrote in a 2023 X post.
The judge overseeing his case never sentenced him, but the conviction gave Bashaw a criminal record that is now wiped clean.
He had served as the company commander of the Army Public Health Center's headquarters at Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland, and was previously a noncommissioned officer with the Air Force.
It remains unclear whether Bashaw will be reinstated in the military under Trump's January 27 executive order stipulating that the thousands of service members who were ousted under Lloyd's order could be brought back with full service.
The Pentagon has since tried to woo back service members, The Hill reports.
'They never should have had to leave military service and the department is committed to assisting them in their return,' said Tim Dill, the Department of Defense's acting deputy undersecretary of personnel and readiness.
But as of early April, only about 100 of the more than 8,700 ousted service members have chosen to rejoin the ranks.
Bashaw was not the only person to receive a presidential pardon on Wednesday, though, as Trump followed through on his promise to pardon reality television stars Todd and Julie Chrisley.
He also pardoned former Republican New York Rep. Michael Grimm, who pleaded guilty to underreporting taxable revenue from his Manhattan restaurant; former Connecticut Gov. John Rowland, who pleaded guilty in 2015 to election fraud; and notorious Chicago gang leader Larry Hoover.
Additionally, up-and-coming rapper NBA YoungBoy saw his gun charges thrown out.
The 24-year-old rap star, born Kentrell Gaulden, pleaded guilty in December to one count linked to his 2020 gun possession arrest and a separate count tied to more recent gun charges in his home state of Utah, according to Rolling Stone.
Gaulden had admitted in his plea that he was a felon in possession of a 9mm gun and a .45-caliber pistol when he was arrested filming a music video outside his grandfather's house in Baton Rouge, Louisiana on September 28, 2020.
He also allegedly said he 'knowingly possessed' a Sig Sauer 9mm semiautomatic pistol in his Utah home while he was serving house arrest related to the pending Louisiana case.
Gaulden was ultimately sentenced to 23 months in prison on gun charges related to the 2020 case in Louisiana, along with five years probation and a $200,000 fine for the Utah gun charge, the New York Times reports.
But he received credit for time served dating back to at least May 2024, when he was taken into custody following a raid on his Utah home in which authorities discovered the semiautomatic pistol.
Gaulden was then released from federal prison in March and was sent to spend the rest of his sentence under home confinement.
He finally became a free man last month, and has since announced his first-ever headlining tour with 32 dates across the United States.
Gaulden is now free to do that, as Trump reportedly assured the rapper that he will no longer be subject to the strict terms of his probation - which included drug testing and potentially laborious approval for any travel, especially internationally.
In a statement posted to his Instagram Story Wednesday, Gaulden wrote that he would like to thank the president 'for granting me a pardon and giving me the opportunity to keep building - as a man, as a father and as an artist.
'This moment means a lot,' he continued. 'It opens the door to a future I've worked hard for and I am fully prepared to step into this.'
Drew Findling, an attorney who represented the rapper, also told the Times he is 'thrilled for Kentrell that his legal journey has come to a conclusion.
'From Louisiana to Utah, the battles have been endless and now he can concentrate on first and foremost his family and then, of course, his amazing career,' the lawyer said.
'The world is at his fingertips,' added Andrew Lieber, Gaulden's touring agent.
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Cook, 82, Rebecca Dyer, 73, and Linda Thompson, 75, later got engaged to actress Katharine McPhee, 41, in 2018 and tied the knot with her the following year. In February 2021, they welcomed their first child together, a son, Rennie, now four. He became the six of David's children, including his oldest daughter Allison Jones, 54, who was born when David was 20 and was initially adopted by another couple, though she later reconnected with him and took on a major role at the David Foster Foundation. His other daughters include Amy S. Foster, 51; Sara Foster, 43; Erin Foster, 40; and Jordan Foster, 37. During an appearance on Watch What Happens Live, Erin previously spoke about how Gigi had kept up a relationship with her former step-siblings. 'Gigi actually just DMed me last night saying she was starting to watch the show,' she said, referring to her hit Netflix rom-com Nobody Wants This. 'The kids don't get divorced, just the parents do.' Gigi has also welcomed a daughter, Khai, with fellow A-lister Zayn Malik in 2020. It is through David's past marriage to singer Linda that he bridges the Hadids to the Jenners, as she was married to Caitlyn Jenner from 1981 to 1985, with the couple sharing sons Brandon and Brody. Caitlyn went on to wed Kris Jenner, 69 - the Kardashian's matriarch - and the pair were married for more than two decades. They had daughters Kylie, 27, and Kendall, 29 - who are both now known to be pals with the Hadid sisters. Kris, who had Kourtney, 46, Kim, 44, Khloe, 40, and Rob, 38, with her late ex-husband and Hollywood lawyer Robert also links the Hadids to the Kardashian by proxy. And both Linda and Robert offer a bizarre Old Hollywood bridge for the family - as they dated both Elvis and Priscilla Presley respectively. Speaking to CNN in 2002, Linda opened up about the challenges of dating such a big star - and admitted she still thought of him decades on. 'You know, it's over 25 years since his passing. He had a tremendous impact on my life, my perception of life, my perception of love and what romance and marriage and family should be, could be,' she revealed. 'So, yes, I think of him even in subliminal terms sometimes. He influences my music and lyrics, as do all the people that I have loved in my life, from my mom and dad to other people that I have loved.' Elsewhere, some reports have even claimed that Robert and Priscilla nearly got married.
