'Tiger King' Joe Exotic begs Donald Trump for pardon and offers to join his cabinet

Tiger King star and vocal Donald Trump supporter Joe Exotic has written a letter to the President-elect, in which he begs him for an early release from prison.

In the letter obtained by RadarOnline, the 61-year-old convict asks his fellow convict to be released from the Federal Medical Center in Fort Worth, Texas.

Exotic (real name Joseph Maldonado-Passage), who went viral thanks to Netflix’s 2020 documentary, was arrested in 2019. He was convicted of two counts of murder for hire, nine counts of violating the Endangered Species Act, and nine counts for violations of the Lacey Act - a law that prohibits the illegal trafficking of wildlife, fish, and plants.

He is set to be released in 2036.

"A lot of people went to bat for you in 2021 who have been living in hell ever since then," wrote Exotic, who is serving 21 years in prison for his murder-for-hire case against rival Carole Baskin.

"Everyone hopes you keep the promises you made during your campaign, which include pardoning everyone sooner than later in January 2025."

Good luck with that one, Joe.

"Some, like myself, have fought like hell to hang on, hoping for you to win this election," he wrote.

In addition to his release, Exotic also asked in his letter to be a part of Trump's cabinet as the new Federal Fish and Wildlife Director.

"It is time to bring some honesty to this department because the former director, Dan Ash, only looked out for himself and his position within the Association of Zoos and Aquariums," Exotic wrote, adding, "He used his federal position to put me out of business and in prison to benefit his non-profit, the AZA."

He continued: “Hundreds of millions of dollars are being wasted within this department, the Endangered Species Act of 1973 was written to protect the animals and their habitats on our lands. It was not meant to be used to create illegal monopolies, as it has been in the past, allowing only certain people to profit from this Act and putting their competitors out of business.”

Exotic also took to X to share an article from The Daily Beast about possible Trump pardons, with the caption: "Trump you got to make my Pardon Happen in January. The media is counting on you this time."

He also posted a picture of him and Trump, captioned ‘Trump Free Joe Exotic’: “Everyone please get behind this movement. The evidence shows I am innocent so it’s time to make this wrong a right.”

Exotic refers to his hopes of being released next year after his legal team filed an appeal for a retrial based on newly discovered evidence.

His letter and X activity comes days after he announced his engagement to Jorge Marquez, a prison mate 28 years his junior. It is Exotic’s third prison engagement in three years.