Kim Kardashian, Kanye West lobby Trump to commute 'Tiger King' Joe Exotic's prison sentence: Report
President Donald Trump is reportedly considering commuting Joe Exotic's prison sentence after reality TV star Kim Kardashian and husband Kanye West lobbied with the Republican for his release. Although the couple could not attend a scheduled meeting at the White House due to social distancing restrictions implemented amid the coronavirus pandemic, it has been reported that the trio discussed Exotic's incarceration through Zoom earlier on Tuesday, March 31.
Ever since Netflix's docu-series 'Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness' premiered on Netflix last week, multiple celebrities have joined in the effort to call for Exotic's release from prison. Apart from Kardashian and West, singer Cardi B has also asked for his release from a 22-year-prison sentence. The singer, on Monday, said that she will set up a fundraiser for Exotic, whose real name is Joseph Allen Maldonado-Passage. A former zoo operator, Exotic, was convicted in 2019 for two counts of murder for hire, for a plot to kill his adversary, Big Cat Rescue CEO Carole Baskin.
Exotic and Baskin's feud centered around their differing opinions on what constitutes animal cruelty. Exotic, accused of animal abuse, denied Baskin's claims that his roadside zoo contributed to "an industry of misery."
Kardashian, who has been involved in multiple prison sentence commutations, and Kanye, however, are now facing backlash over their involvement in the case. Animal welfare expert Terry Goodkitty, while speaking to Highsnobiety, said: "I’m as riled up as a mangy dog gettin’ sudsed up in the tub. It ain’t right that some famous celebrity can ring up Trump and take a dump on the concerns of all them big kitties."
"They ain’t got no president who’s gonna care for em or listen to em purr real good. Just because that murdering pelt-wearin Kardashian can string two words together don’t make her a lawyer, so I don’t see why any federal counsel would treat her as such!" she told the outlet.
'Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem, and Madness' recounts the lead up to the crime Exotic was charged with, its aftermath, and its impact on the zoo and exotic cat community at large. The film, which released on March 20, has garnered worldwide attention with its cliffhangers per episode. Cardi B has been the most outspoken celebrity on the issue of Exotic's incarceration.
The singer even took to Twitter, saying she agrees with the unproven theory presented in the documentary that Baskin allegedly had something to do with the disappearance of her husband. "Carole you think you slick b----," Cardi B wrote on Twitter. She then wrote a message over the weekend, extending her sympathy for Exotic: "They did Joe so dirty over and over again." On March 28, she wrote: "Bout to start a gofundme account for Joe. He shall be free."
Meanwhile, Kardashian also tweeted on the subject on March 23, writing: "Wow the amount of texts I’ve gotten about Tiger King since I tweeted about it all have mentioned their belief that Carol killed her husband! What are your thoughts? Do you think Carol killed him?"
Ever since his incarceration, Exotic began seeking a presidential pardon from President Donald Trump, and chances are he might get one.