President Donald Trump on Wednesday pardoned a former Army officer who was found guilty in 2022 by a military judge of violating coronavirus prevention protocols, a White House official who was not authorized to speak publicly confirmed to The Washington Post.

Former 1st Lt. Mark Bashaw was convicted and sentenced to no punishment for his refusal to obey orders meant to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. According to the military news publication Stars and Stripes, Bashaw did not comply with orders to telework, submit a negative coronavirus test before reporting to work or wear a mask indoors.

Bashaw, who was an entomologist at the Army Public Health Center in Maryland, said he was facing discrimination because of his religious beliefs. He said he was discharged in 2023.

After receiving the pardon on Wednesday, Bashaw said on social media that he was “humbled, grateful, and ready to continue fighting for truth and justice.” The post also included an image that referenced the “plandemic,” a debunked conspiracy theory about COVID-19.

Within weeks of being sworn in for his second presidential term, Trump issued an executive action directing the defense secretary and the secretary of homeland security to reinstate members of the military who were discharged for their refusal to receive the coronavirus vaccine.

Thousands of active-duty and reserve service members were discharged for refusing the vaccine, but Bashaw was the first known military member convicted in a court-martial over a refusal to comply with coronavirus directives, Army Times reported. Though he was not punished, the convictions left him with a criminal record.

This week, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said his department would no longer recommend the coronavirus vaccine for healthy pregnant women and healthy children. The unprecedented move bypassed the traditional system of vaccine advice from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Emily Davies contributed to this report.