Donald Trump said on Wednesday that he will consider pardoning Joe Exotic, the star of the Netflix series “Tiger King.” He is currently serving a 22-year sentence in prison because of a murder-for-hire plot.
After Donald Trump Jr. watched the “Tiger King” series on Netflix in two sittings, he said he considers the 22-year prison sentence for Joe Exotic too “aggressive.”
Trump told reporters at the White House on Wednesday that he hasn’t seen the show yet, but he’ll “take a look.”
His son, Trump Jr. said, “Now, I don’t even know exactly what he was charged with. I watched the show, but it was like, I don’t know exactly what he was guilty of or wasn’t.”
“It doesn’t seem like he was totally innocent of anything. But when they’re saying, “We’re putting this guy away for 30 years,” I’m saying that seems sort of aggressive.”
When a reporter spoke to Donald Trump about what Trump Jr. said, he commented, “Which son? It must be Don. I had a feeling it was Don.”
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The show on Netflix follows the story of three zoo owners. This includes Joe Exotic and Carole Baskin. Baskin owns Tampa Florida’s Big Cat Rescue.
Joe Exotic allegedly planned to kill Carole Baskin, who had become a thorn in his side. This was because Baskin pushed lawmakers to vote in favor of the Big Cat Public Safety Act. This act would make it harder for people to own lions and tigers and would put an end to the practice of cub-petting.
Cub-petting is one of the business models that Joe Exotic relied heavily on. It involved allowing the public to pet tiger cubs and take photos with them in exchange for money.
Related: Melania Trump ‘Very Angry’, Tries to Protect Her Son
Joe Exotic’s real name is Joseph Allen Maldonado-Passage, and he was convicted of two counts of murder-for-hire in April 2019. He was also convicted on nine violations of the Endangered Species Act and eight violations of the Lacey Act.
After “Tiger King” aired, Joe Exotic and Carole Baskin quickly became household names. The show details how Baskin’s first husband disappeared, with Exotic claiming Baskin fed her husband to a tiger.
When Trump was asked about Joe Exotic’s crimes by a reporter, he said, “I know nothing about it.” But he said he’d take a look.
Since the episodes have aired, authorities have reopened the case that involves the disappearance of Carole Baskin’s husband. Here’s hoping they have a good family lawyer.
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