In about seven weeks Joe Biden will be sworn in as the 46th President of the United States and as has become sort of a tradition, current President Trump is seemingly going through the motions of last minute pardons. It’s not unusual for the lame duck leader of the nation to grant pardons and commutations before the power is no longer in his hands, and according to a new report there are many attempting to get on the list for Trump. In a report on ABC News, the outlet cites sources claiming “various Trump allies and other lawyers” are campaigning in hopes of “securing pardons for those who might receive a sympathetic reception from the president.” Those apparently on the list? Tiger King’s own Joe Exotic.
According to the site, those being pushed for a pardon include “family members and associates” and even Exotic himself, who has been lobbying for a pardon for some time now. They further break down the potential pardons list into “Trump allies and friends” and “requests from individuals serving sentences who aren’t necessarily familiar to the president.” The former “zoo keeper” turned wannabe politician and now infamous Netflix character was found guilty earlier this year on 17 counts of animal abuse and two counts of murder-for-hire, having attempted to pay Allen Glover to kill Carole Baskin, the owner of Big Cat Rescue who had spent years trying to shut down Exotic’s private zoo.
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Exotic reportedly penned a 257-page letter pleading his case for a pardon that he had his attorneys attempt to hand over to the White House earlier this year. His letter reporteldy contained the basis for why he believes he should be pardoned, including not only the health concerns he’s previously raised, but some new claims as well. Exotic claims in his letter that he has been “sexually assaulted by jail staff, beat up and tied in a chair to the point the skin came off my arms” with Exotic further claiming that his “hands are damaged from the abuse in jail so I’m sorry for the soppy [sic] writing and spelling.”
President Trump was previously made aware of Exotic and his hopes for a pardon. New York Post reporter Steven Nelson asked the president about this during a coronavirus task force press briefing in April, as the President’s son previously opined on asking his father to pardon Exotic. In response, the president previously said: “I know nothing about it…I’ll take a look.”
Even if the President elects not to pardon Exotic, the world will still have plenty of Tiger King in its future. Academy Award winner and fan-favorite Nicolas Cage will play Exotic in a new television series based on the infamous Oklahoman in a new series for CBS All Access. The series will be based on the Texas Monthly article “Joe Exotic: A Dark Journey Into the World of a Man Gone Wild” by Leif Reigstad with Dan Lagana serving as showrunner.
Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem, and Madness is streaming now on Netflix.
