Joe Exotic’s Legal Team Petitions President Donald Trump For A Pardon In New Video
Joe Exotic knows how to get attention. In a new video produced by the Tiger King star’s legal team, his lawyers petition President Donald Trump for a pardon, TMZ reports. Joe Exotic, real name Joseph Maldonado-Passage, is currently serving a 22-year sentence after he was convicted of plotting to murder Carole Baskin, also prominently featured in the series.
Joe Exotic is currently serving his sentence in Fort Worth, Texas, and TMZ reported that roughly one third of the inmates in the prison have tested positive for the novel coronavirus. The video was also shot in Fort Worth, and featured a massive bus with a plea on the side for Trump to pardon Joe Exotic.
The video also suggested that not only is Joe Exotic not guilty of plotting to kill Baskin, he was actually framed. The plea is led by Eric Love, a private investigator who is now Joe Exotic’s executive manager.
In addition to pleading with Trump for a pardon, the legal team also outlined an aggressive strategy that involves bringing lawsuits against a number of people involved in the Tiger King star’s criminal trial.
Trump was previously asked about whether he would consider pardoning Exotic. At the time, the president didn’t offer a definitive answer.
A reporter just asked if Trump would pardon Joe Exotic from Tiger King and Trump said, "I will take a look." pic.twitter.com/f0c0R8QmDy
— Caleb Hull (@CalebJHull) April 8, 2020
“So, one of the biggest rating hits of the coronavirus, aside from these briefings, has been a show on Netflix called ‘Tiger King.’ And the man who is the star of this is a former zoo owner who is serving a 22-year prison sentence. He’s asking you for a pardon, saying he was unfairly convicted. Your son yesterday jokingly said he was going to advocate for it and I was wondering if you’d seen the show and if you have any thoughts on pardoning Joe Exotic,” a journalist asked the president.
Trump then sought clarification on what Joe Exotic was in prison for, and asked the reporter whether he had any opinion on whether he was actually guilty. After the reporter declined to weigh in on the matter, Trump said that he would “look into it.”
Now, it seems that Joe Exotic’s legal team is pursuing an aggressive strategy to get the president’s attention. He began campaigning for a pardon after Tiger King was released on Netflix and became a phenomenon. In a letter he wrote to the president, he said that his trial had not been about the truth, but had instead been about getting the prosecutors a win. Now, he’s gone from writing letters to making videos to get his message to the Oval Office.
