Latest news with #Bashaw
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Trump pardons Army officer who defied COVID prevention rules
As part of a flurry of presidential clemency this week, President Donald Trump on Wednesday pardoned a former Army officer convicted of disobeying COVID-19 safety measures in 2022. Former 1st Lt. Mark Bashaw announced the pardon on social media, thanking Trump and all his supporters who 'took a stand against tyranny.' He also posted a picture referencing conspiracy theories that the COVID-19 virus was a planned event by global elitists for unspecified, nefarious reasons. Bashaw was convicted but given no prison sentence after refusing to obey orders designed to prevent the spread of COVID-19. He had previously worked as an entomologist at Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland and commanded the headquarters company for the Army Public Health Center. Army officer convicted in first known COVID court-martial Military investigators said Bashaw refused to telework and traveled to his office without submitting evidence of a prior COVID-19 test. Both were required of soldiers at the facility in 2022 who were not vaccinated against the virus. Bashaw was also found guilty of refusing to wear a mask in indoor areas, in violation of military protocols at the time. He was the first service member court-martialed for refusing to adhere to COVID mitigation protocols. He was discharged from the Army in 2023. Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in recent months have worked to overturn a host of past punishments and dismissals for pandemic violations in the military, including offering reinstatement and back pay to some troops forced out for refusing the COVID-19 vaccine. Although Bashaw did not have any prison time related to his conviction, Trump's pardon erases his criminal record completely. White House officials did not release a statement on the reasoning behind the pardon. More than 500,000 U.S. troops contracted COVID-19 during the pandemic from March 2020 to May 2023, but fewer than 100 died of complications related to the virus.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Trump pardons Army officer who refused to follow COVID safety orders: Reports
The Brief Former Lt. Mark C. Bashaw was pardoned by President Donald Trump on Wednesday. Bashaw was convicted in a first-ever court-martial for violating COVID-19 protocols in the U.S. Army. A judge who was overseeing Bashaw's case declined to impose any punishment. Former Lt. Mark C. Bashaw, who was discharged from the Army after refusing to follow COVID-19 safety measures in 2022, received a pardon from President Donald Trump on May 28, according to multiple reports. Dig deeper Bashaw was convicted in a first-ever court-martial for violating COVID-19 safety protocols in 2022. He faced three charges, including refusing to work remotely or submit to testing requirements and refusing to wear a mask while indoors. Bashaw also allegedly stayed at work even though he hadn't tested negative for the deadly virus. However, the judge overseeing the case at the time declined to impose any punishment, according to a Newsweek report from 2022. The backstory Bashaw served as company commander of the Army Public Health Center's headquarters company at Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland, USA Today reported. At the time, the Army required all onsite workers to provide proof of being vaccinated against COVID-19 or submit to regular testing. Big picture view Trump pardoned several people including former Connecticut governor John G. Rowland, Kentrell Gaulden (known as rapper YoungBoy Never Broke Again), Kevin Eric Baisden, John Moore, former U.S. Rep. Michael Grimm, James Callahan, former Virginia Sheriff Scott Jenkins, and Tanner Mansell. The president also pardoned realty TV stars Julie and Todd Chrisley, both of whom are serving federal prison sentences after being convicted of bank fraud and tax evasion three years ago. The Source Information for this article was taken from reporting by USA Today, The New York Times, and previous reporting by Newsweek and The Associated Press. This story was reported from Los Angeles.
The Herald Scotland
3 days ago
- Politics
- The Herald Scotland
Trump pardons former Army officer convicted of disobeying COVID rules
Bashaw was found guilty by a military judge for 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 martial over 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's headquarters company at 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 January to begin reinstating service members who refused to receive the COVID-19 vaccine as mandated by the Defense Department under former President Joe 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.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Trump pardons former Army officer court-martialed for refusing COVID shot, rules
President Trump on Thursday pardoned a former Army officer who was convicted by a military court martial for refusing to follow the Pentagon's COVID-19 safety rules. Former Lt. Mark Bashaw was discharged from the Army in 2022 during the Biden administration after he would not take the COVID-19 shot and then refused to work remotely. Bashaw also would not submit a coronavirus test before reporting for office, and he would not wear a face mask indoors. The Pentagon had required such measures of all service members should they decline the mandated vaccine, and Bashaw was found guilty by a military judge for failing to comply. But Trump on Thursday pardoned Bashaw along with a slew of other individuals, including a former Chicago gang leader and reality TV stars convicted on tax evasion and bank fraud charges. Starting in August 2021, then-Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin required the COVID-19 shot for troops, sailors and airmen, arguing at the time that the mandate was critical to keeping U.S. forces healthy and ready to fight. The Pentagon later dropped the rule in January 2023 as the pandemic waned. The mandate forced out thousands of service members who were involuntarily discharged after refusing the shot, but Bashaw — at the time company commander of the Army Public Health Center's headquarters at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md. — marked the first service member to be tried by a court martial over the Pentagon's rules. He claimed the court martial happened because he 'refused to participate with lies,' according to a 2023 post to social platform X. Though the judge who oversaw his trial didn't hand down any punishment, the conviction gave Bashaw a criminal record. Trump's pardon wipes out that record. Weeks after his inauguration, Trump took executive action in January to begin reinstating service members who refused to receive the COVID-19 vaccine as mandated by the Defense Department under former President Biden. Trump in a Jan. 27 executive order stipulated that the booted service members could be brought back with full back pay and benefits, with an easier medical screening. The Pentagon last month started to try to woo back to the military the service members who left. 'They never should have had to leave military service, and the department is committed to assisting them in their return,' said Tim Dill, the Defense Department's acting deputy undersecretary of personnel and readiness. The former military members dismissed from the ranks have the option to be reinstated, but it's unclear how successful the effort will be given that the military branches found that many of the veterans who left had moved on with their lives. As of early April, only about 100 of the more than 8,700 individuals ousted chose to rejoin. It is not clear if Bashaw is seeking to be reinstated. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
3 days ago
- Politics
- The Hill
Trump pardons former Army officer court-martialed for refusing COVID shot, rules
President Trump on Thursday pardoned a former Army officer who was convicted by a military court martial for refusing to follow the Pentagon's COVID-19 safety rules. Former Lt. Mark Bashaw was discharged from the Army in 2022 during the Biden administration after he would not take the COVID-19 shot and then refused to work remotely. Bashaw also would not submit a coronavirus test before reporting for office, and would not wear a face mask indoors. The Pentagon had required such measures of all service members should they decline the mandated vaccine, and Bashaw was found guilty by a military judge for failing to comply. But Trump on Thursday pardoned Bashaw along with a slew of other individuals, including a former Chicago gang leader and reality TV stars convicted on tax evasion and bank fraud charges. Starting in August 2021, then-Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin required the COVID-19 shot for troops, sailors and airmen, arguing at the time that the mandate was critical to keeping U.S. forces healthy and ready to fight. The Pentagon later dropped the rule in January 2023 as the pandemic waned. The mandate forced out thousands of service members who were involuntarily discharged after refusing the shot, but Bashaw – at the time company commander of the Army Public Health Center's headquarters at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md. – marked the first service member to be tried by a court martial over the Pentagon's rules. He claimed the court martial happened because he 'refused to participate with lies,' according to a 2023 post to X. Though the judge who oversaw his trial didn't hand down any punishment, the conviction gave Bashaw a criminal record. Trump's pardon wipes out that record. Weeks after his inauguration, Trump took executive action in January to begin reinstating service members who refused to receive the COVID-19 vaccine as mandated by the Defense Department under former President Joe Biden. Trump in a Jan. 27 executive order stipulated that the booted service members could be brought back with full back pay and benefits, with an easier medical screening. The Pentagon last month started to try to woo back to the military the service members who left. 'They never should have had to leave military service, and the department is committed to assisting them in their return,' said Tim Dill, the Defense Department's acting deputy undersecretary of personnel and readiness. The former military members dismissed from the ranks have the option to be reinstated, but it's unclear how successful the effort will be given that the military branches found that many of the veterans that left had moved on with their lives. As of early April, only a little over 100 of the more than 8,700 individuals ousted chose to rejoin. It is not clear if Bashaw is seeking to be reinstated.
