Article continues below advertisement
This comes after Baskin’s husband, Howard, told the Mirror that the couple would support Exotic’s early release on the condition that he support the Big Cat Public Safety Act, which the Tiger King star is accepting.
“If he were to do that, it might position him in a positive way for a pardon. And frankly, I might be willing to go and urge at least a reduction in his sentence,” Howard said.
Article continues below advertisement
“It is time for Carole and Howard to put up or shut the hell up because I’m accepting their offer,” Exotic, whose real name is Joseph Maldonado-Passage, told Entertainment Tonight.
Article continues below advertisement
“And I’m gonna take it one step further than that, OK? It is time to get on the phone to President Biden or whoever they need to that they’ve got in their little financial pocket and say, ‘Hey, Joe is willing to support a big cat bill to help protect cats in America from being exploited. But we need to keep our end of the deal and get Joe a pardon because this wasn’t really about murder for hire or shooting five tigers — this was about exploiting Joe to support Carole’s agenda.’ So, there’s the offer on the table, all right?” he added.
Exotic is serving a 22-year jail sentence for an alleged murder-for-hire plot of kill Baskin and for multiple violations of wildlife laws.
“The way it’s written is not gonna help anybody except PETA and Carole Baskin,” Exotic said of the act which prohibits the private ownership of big cats such as lions and tigers to halt the putting industry. The act was passed by the House of Representatives on December 3, ET reported.
Article continues below advertisement
“So, I’ll testify in front of the Senate, I’ll testify in front of the House, they want to end big cats in America and they want to end the exploitation of them, I’m the man to do it. But it’s time to get an attorney general down here and listen to the evidence that I have to prove I’m innocent and get me the hell out of here. And they’ve got my support. Other than that, they need to stay the hell out of the news with all their crap just to get their name in the paper because I just called their bluff,” Exotic continued.
Article continues below advertisement
Article continues below advertisement
This comes after Exotic was disappointed when former President Donald Trump did not pardon him before leaving office. “I was too innocent and too GAY to deserve a Pardon from Trump,” Exotic tweeted on Inauguration Day.
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
“I’m taking a deep breath because I feel such a sense of relief,” Baskin told Fox News at the time. “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.”