Tiger King "hopeful" of pardon by Biden

Publish Date: Tuesday, 26 January 2021, 12:07AM

Infamous Tiger King star Joe Exotic, who's real name is Joseph Maldonado-Passage, was so certain he was going to receive a pardon from outgoing President Trump last week, sources claim that he had a stretch limo ready and waiting to collect him from prison.

Exotic took to Twitter to deny that he ordered the limo in anticipation of his release.

For the record, all I ever asked for was the truth and evidence to be told in my defense. All the big stuff limos, jets and busses was not my idea nor did I rent them. Now can we please concentrate on exposing the corruption and what they really did to me was wrong... pic.twitter.com/9xdzjHIglP
— Joe Exotic (@joe_exotic) January 21, 2021

The Tiger King star is currently serving a 22-year sentence after being convicted of hiring a hitman to try to kill rival zookeeper Carole Baskin.

From prison, Exotic was quick to Tweet his dismay at Trump's failure to pardon him, posting: "I was too innocent and too GAY to deserve a Pardon from Trump."

I was too innocent and too GAY to deserve a Pardon from Trump. I only mattered to Don Jr. when he needed to make a comment about me to boost his social media post. Boy were we all stupid to believe he actually stood for Equal Justice? His corrupt friends all come first. pic.twitter.com/ysGfwnqlHi
— Joe Exotic (@joe_exotic) January 20, 2021

Exotic is reported to have quickly switched his hopes to President Biden, shortly after Thursday's inauguration.

According to TMZ, Exotic has reportedly sent emails to President Biden and his administration on Sunday, stating his case for clemency. Exotic is said to be "hopeful" of a pardon from the Biden administration and has faith in Vice President Kamala Harris, stating that she can "help clean up the corruption in the Department of Justice and other agencies".

The woman Exotic is convicted of conspiring to kill, Carole Baskin, admitted she was relieved that Exotic had not been pardoned.

Baskin told the Daily Mail: 'I'm taking a deep breath because I feel such a sense of relief. From the very time that he was sentenced I have worried about there being a presidential pardon that could undo all of the hard work that went into bringing this person to justice.

'When today at noon a new president was sworn in, I felt like I was finally safe from that threat.'

Baskin also recently told Buzzfeed: "I think only Joe's team and the media were ever even thinking about a pardon for Joe," she said.

Commenting on one of his own Twitter threads, Exotic was quick to cry "conspiracy" and implied that Baskin played a key part in Trump's refusal to pardon him.

This article was first published on nzherald.co.nz and is republished here with permission

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