Military Administrative Investigations Board hearings supervised by three Marine Corps Special Operations Command (MARSOC) officers at Camp Lejeune from October 2 to 8 concluded the investigation into the “misuse of government computers” against Marine Corps JAG officers. The charges of “acts unbecoming of an officer'' were substantiated. He's a gentleman. But after hearing emotional and heated testimony, including allegations that Marine Corps lawyers abused their positions and ignored orders from superiors, the committee decided that Maj. Joshua Mast should remain on active duty in the Marine Corps. did. He continues to serve in MARSOC, an elite Marine Corps under the jurisdiction of U.S. Special Operations Command.
Mast and his wife Stephanie filed a lawsuit in the past few years after an Afghan couple filed a lawsuit challenging the legality of the State Department's adoptions by relatives of Afghan orphans after U.S. airstrikes. He is embroiled in an ongoing legal battle. In 2019, a child's parents were murdered and the child was seriously injured. An Afghan couple who raised their child for 18 months were tricked into handing over Baby Doe after Mast helped them come to the United States during the chaotic 2021 Afghanistan withdrawal, a Virginia court says. argued. The State Department filed the request in a Virginia court. Return the child to Afghan relatives who currently live in the United States.
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Marine Maj. Joshua Mast and his wife, Stephanie, leave a courtroom in Charlottesville, Virginia. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen, File)
MARSOC spokesman Maj. Johnny Henderson said, “The proven misconduct related to the misuse of government computers involved systems involving classified and unclassified information.” The board did not consider the legality of the adoption case, which has now been appealed by the Masts and is currently before the Virginia Supreme Court. Earlier this year, Virginia's Civilian Court of Appeals ruled against the Masts, arguing that the adoption should never have been granted. The child remains at Mast pending an appeal.
Mast, who denies disobeying orders, posted a poster of a smiling child at his home in Hampstead, North Carolina, and a poster with pictures of children at Bagram Airfield, where Baby Doe was taken for treatment after the U.S. airstrike. Posted. Despite being ordered by then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and a federal judge in Virginia to stop trying to adopt an Afghan child, he claimed he was actually adhering to the Marine Corps credo.
Parts of the hearing were held behind closed doors to reporters because Mast insisted that some information was confidential. He then chose to take a non-sworn statement behind closed doors, meaning he would not be subject to cross-examination.
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By law, a military commission's determination that secession is not justified is binding on the Marine Corps. The decision must now be reviewed by Navy Secretary Carlos del Toro.
When asked whether Major Mast would be able to continue practicing law as a member of the Judge Advocate General's (JAG) staff, Major Henderson replied:
“Major Mast has not practiced law with MARSOC since the first report of his misconduct and has no plans to return to practice law with MARSOC. It depends.”
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Marine Maj. Joshua Mast walks with his wife Stephanie in Charlottesville, Virginia. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen, File)
When asked whether Maj. Mast's security clearance would be revoked based on the findings of this investigation, a MARSOC spokesperson said: “His access to classified information systems is restricted by MARSOC. A final confidentiality ruling on his classified information systems is a separate process and will not be made public. Board's Final Report completed until submitted through the chain of command.”
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The Marine Corps is not a party to or involved in the ongoing civil litigation. Major Mast's civil suit is being handled by the Department of Justice.
