Donald Trump has said he will “take a look” at so-called Tiger King Joe Exotic’s conviction for plotting to have an animal rights activist murdered.
Exotic, a zoo owner at the centre of Netflix’s breakout hit Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem And Madness, is currently serving 22 years in jail.
Amid calls for a pardon for Exotic from fans of the popular documentary series, the US President said he would “take a look”.
Mr Trump was asked about Exotic’s case during a press conference on Wednesday. “I know nothing about it,” a smiling Mr Trump replied.
“He has 22 years for what – what did he do?”
Mr Trump, who has shown he is not afraid to wield executive privilege, asked the reporters if they would “recommend a pardon” and added: “I’ll take a look.”
Exotic was last year convicted of 17 federal charges of animal abuse and plotting to have animal rights activist Carole Baskin murdered.
Baskin and Exotic were locked in a long-running feud over the latter's alleged mistreatment of animals.
Fans of the series have also backed Exotic's allegation that Baskin murdered her husband and fed him to tigers, an accusation she dismisses as ridiculous.
Exotic has twice unsuccessfully run for public office, with failed attempts at the White House in 2016 and for Governor of Oklahoma in 2018.
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